Fallout Wars : The Steel Plague
by DeathscytheVII
Summary: With the fall of the Enclave, the young and burgeoning New California Republic finds itself facing its greatest threat yet; their former ally, a revitalized and resurgent Brotherhood of Steel. A novelization of the Brotherhood-NCR war.
1. Prologue

_This story may take a while since I also have the Outcast Fic in the works (currently on hold) but one thing that always urked me was that while Fallout's theme was on war. We never really had any large scale 'battles' per say that had more than a dozen people. This is my attempt at seeing what a full-scale war in a post-apocalyptic wasteland may look like._

_I don't own Fallout or the series. I'm just playing in the sandbox ;)_

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"_A safe people, is a strong people" – President Tandi_

**Prologue**

**2254 AD: HUB, Imperial Valley Region**

Sergeant John Reyner wiped the sweat off his brow as he led his contingent of troops into the vast marketplace known as 'the Hub'. It was a big assignment for him, with five troopers in tow, each one drabbed in khaki uniforms and sporting a metal breastplate with the emblem of the New California Republic. Having trekked through the desert for several days, every person in the unit had their face covered in a face wrap, some sporting goggles.

One feature however, that differentiated them from other NCR military units, was the red beret each member wore proudly on their head, signifying that they were part of 1st recon; the elite scouting unit of the NCR army. Respected and feared by all the republics enemies.

It had been days since they started out from their base at San Diego, taking an old APC down the pre-war interstate highway 8, before walking the rest of the way when the road ended. Like the rest of his men, Reyner was tired, bored, and pissed as hell, but there was a job needed to be done, and no one would ever say that 1st recon never did their jobs.

The troopers paused for a second in the dusty road, taking in the sights, smells and sounds of the bustling city around them.

"This is it men, welcome to the Hub."

The Hub was the major trading city of the Core Wasteland region for the last one hundred and fifty years. As early as 2090 AD, it served as a large community of traders, barterers, gamblers, prostitutes and other interesting scum. It was said that the HUB was a larger city than both Junktown and Shady Sands combined. You could literally drop the Vault in there, and you probably would not notice. But the people of the Hub had no life, and like any other part of the wasteland, it was a desolate place just the same. Still, for supply purposes, the Hub was an oasis in the middle of a desert. Anything could be bought and traded for, chems, guns, bullets, food, Brahmin, metal, and even scraps of dirt depending on the buyer. Prostitute, gamblers and the occasional slavers also showed up to ply their trades, though the latter was usually frowned upon.

Even dressed in their military uniforms, the men of the first recon seemed to blend right into the ocean of humanity that flowed around them. Merchants shouted their deals in the market Bazaar, walking their caravan Brahmins through the dusty streets, ghouls and the occasional super mutant congregated in nearby pubs and workshops, acting as body guards or simply soliciting for work. Languages that were once part of the old world, Spanish, Chinese, English, and other exotic tongues flowed through the air, intermingling into a perfect cacophony of chaos and noise.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like it Sarge." PFC Wright, son of a brahmin farmer back in the Boneyard, whistled softly.

"Yeah man," another Private smirked, "It's almost like…like "

"A squalid piece-of-shit urine soaked hellhole." Sergeant Reyner finished.

"Took the words right outta my mouth sarge." Wright chuckled, the private subconsciously giving his service rifle a small click to load his magazine. The Hub was a place of wealth and excitement, but also danger. The rest of first Recon did the same. The caution was normal and required in the Hub, as several rotting bodies of former squatters littered some parts of the streets, mingled in with the unconscious bodies of drunkards and chem addicts

"Keep close in formation, we're on our way to the Police Building. Don't excite any of the locals."

"Sir." PFC Wright nodded, as did the rest of the squad.

And as if to underline his point, the members of 1st recon heard a gunshot in the street beside them, followed by a woman screaming and several more shouts from the crowd.

"We're not here to police these people, we have a job to do. The Colonel is expecting us at the Police Station." Sergeant Reyner pulled up the face wrap to cover his face, then proceeded to navigate through the mob.

* * *

Councilman Westin watched with awe as he stood in the office overlooking the bustling hub, marveling at the extraordinary chaos, yet efficiency of the greatest merchant city in the Core Region. It reminded him in many ways of the great city back west, the Capital in Shady Lands. It had it all, the energy, the bustling factories and merchants that could turn a small community into a great republic, one that could encompass the American Southwest and eventually rebuild the great country that had been lost so long ago.

And today, the Republic would be one step closer to recognizing this great dream.

He focused once again at his desk, donated to him graciously by the sheriff of the Hub. The New California Republic and the Hub had an established alliance for some time, one that had its roots in the organizing of the great caravans that travelled through the NCR, in exchange for goods at a reduced price, the NCR would agree to lend the Hub its elite Ranger battalions to protect their wares from raiders and the like. The Hub merchants, seeing the value in disciplined NCR units over their hired mercenaries, gladly accepted, and from that, the bonds of cooperation and friendship grew.

As part of the executive council, Westin was one of the President's closest advisors, and it was he who had initially offered the idea of taking it one step closer, full-fledged membership into the Republic.

A knock resounded on the office door, and Westin answered politely.

"Come in, it's unlocked."

A Hub police officer, dressed in pre-war combat armor, opened the door and saluted. "Sir, Colonel Ellis, the officer you asked for is here."

"Excellent." The Councilman nodded. "Lead him in please."

Within moments, an NCR colonel entered the room, standing ramrod straight and saluting the councilman.

"A pleasure to meet you sir." Colonel Ellis, dressed in the desert uniform of an NCR soldier, saluted. He wore the old weathered face of a veteran, tanned, scarred, along with a regular issue army cut.

"The pleasure is all mine Colonel." Westin nodded, and he noticed that Ellis slightly relaxed, but still kept his disciplined posture. The Councilman gestured towards the empty chair across his desk. "Please sit."

"Sir." Ellis nodded, taking the seat before Westin proceeded, walking to his desk and picking up several sheafs of paper, casually reading them over.

"Colonel Ronald Ellis, of 5th Battalion. You distinguished yourself quite well at Navarro a few months back." Westin noted, the joint alliance between the Shi, NCR and Brotherhood to bring down the last remnants of the Enclave in the Core Region went off spectacularly. With the bulk of the Enclave forces destroyed or headed Eastwards, the skeleton garrison was easily overwhelmed, though not without significant casualties to the coalition forces. It was Ellis and his ranger battalions that snuck into the Enclave base, disabling their auto-defense turrets, allowing the Shi and Brotherhood forces to finish off the job.

Ellis nodded in recollection, though not a glimmer of pride went through his features. "Our boys did their job sir."

Westin nodded in approval, deciding that Ellis was the kind of soldier he liked. He had been in politics too often to see the types that bragged about the glory and honor war brought. Ellis on the other hand, was a no-nonsense professional, who did his job because it was his duty, nothing more. And he wasn't the type to take credit away from his subordinates either.

"That they did, which is why the president specifically asked for your battalion. They _are _in the city of course?"

"Yes sir, my advanced recon units arrived this morning, the rest will be here shortly." Ellis replied back, mentally calculating the men he had brought with him today. With the destruction and routing of the Enclave, the NCR Government had downgraded the threat levels in the state to the bare minimum, disbanding a good portion of the army but leaving several mobile divisions in play. From his own force, he had four battalions, mustering perhaps four hundred troopers in arms total. Hardly enough to constitute a pre-war battalion, but in the context of the post-apocalyptic wasteland, four hundred men had as much weight as a division did in the pre-war days.

"Excellent," Westin nodded. "As you know Colonel, the president and the Hub Council have officially ratified the terms of the integration treaty. What this means is, three days from now, the Hub will be considered NCR territory, and its the fine people will be inducted as full citizens of the NCR, with full rights and protections, and more importantly, making them under our full jurisdiction. "

The Councilman remarked, putting down the intelligence reports he had been reading earlier.

"This means that we'll need to establish order in the city quickly, I'm confident your men are up to the task."

Ellis nodded. "I can have my men deployed within the next twenty four hours, just let us know where you need 'em."

Westin slapped the table lightly in exclamation. "That's the type of initiative I'm looking for Colonel. Do you have your recon squad ready?"

"Yes sir, but I'm not sure what you need from them?"

"Let's just call it, an insurance policy. Not many folks are too happy about being part of the NCR, and several more would be more than happy to take a pop shot at our president if you catch my drift.

"Entirely, sir." Ellis answered drily. "What do you need us to do?"

"Quite simple really." Westin said as he settled back casually in his office chair. "There are several factions that we know of in the Hub that may oppose the establishment of law and order. I'm sure you've heard of a few of them? The Thieves guild? The Hub underground?"

"In passing sir."

"The Thieves guild is no issue, I've no doubt the scum will find a way around our new laws, but they aren't going out of their way to stop the annexation, it's the underground that is the main concern."

Ellis nodded, letting the council continue.

"The underground is essentially a criminal organization. **THE** criminal organization in the hub, they target merchants, soldiers, police, you name it, anyone who gets in their way. All crime in the Hub can be traced to them. They were dangerous, even fielded something like a private army. Their leader, Decker was a ruthless one, even made a play for the water distribution system to dominate the town."

"What stopped them?" The Colonel asked out of curiosity.

"Some vault dweller." Westin remarked, "but that's in the past now, the one who runs the show, is a man by the name of Kane. We know he's been keeping tabs on the annexation process, even doing his best to sabotage it. Intel indicates that he's even smuggling weapons into the Hub."

"Should we call in our friends from the Brotherhood of Steel?" The colonel suggested.

"We have considered that, but recently relations have been icy at best with their new high elder. We sent them an offer for a peaceful integration with the NCR Military to further our alliance, but the High Elders, needless to say, were resistant to that idea. I think the cooperation was only good when we had one common enemy, the Enclave. With them gone, the Brotherhood's back to business as usual. We don't expect any help from them in this mess."

"And I suppose that's where 1st recon comes in?" Ellis frowned.

"Precisely Colonel. I need your men to track him down and remove this knife from the Republic's back. Then we can proceed with a peaceful annexation."

"Won't we be suspected of publicly targeting and assassinating him?"

"If anything, the merchants of the Hub will thank us for it, and it shows that the NCR can bring order back to this chaotic world." Westin smiled, getting up from his chair and indicating the interview was over.

"Have your 1st recon men take Kane's head, and we'll be one step closer to reunifying this wasteland and toward a brighter future. I know you won't let us down son."

"If you say so sir."

* * *

**Maxson Bunker, Brotherhood of Steel Headquarters**

"Hail Senior Paladin."

The greeting was filtered, mechanical, spoken through the power armored mask of an elite Brotherhood knight.

"And Steel preserve you Knight-Captain." The Paladin replied cordially, shouldering his laser rifle and extending his hand to his fellow knight. Though the T45B was the standard heavy power armored suit that was issued amongst all Brotherhood forces, the Knight in front of him was wearing the older T45d.

"Knight-Captain Aiden, it's great to see you again. It has been awhile." Paladin Nolan McNamara extended his hand to his old friend, since they had both been initiates at the Lost Hills Bunker, they had split off to their separate chapters. McNamara heading off to the Mojave chapter, while Aiden stuck it out with the San Francisco branch of the Brotherhood, keeping tabs on the Shi, as well as the Enclave Remnants. It was a pleasant surprise to see his friend so far away from his home base, but it also pointed to something big. The Brotherhood of Steel bunkers usually operated independently, though answering to the same Lost Hills Elder Council, he never remembered any time when senior officers from each bunker were called together. Ever.

"Indeed my friend, by this time I'd have thought you've made Elder." Aiden joked. It was true that McNamara had risen in the ranks exponentially faster than his friend, but Aiden has chosen to dedicate his time in the Brotherhood to missions above ground, gathering intel on the surrounding factions and giving him less time gathering pre-war technology, something that McNamara and his Chapter were specialized in, and so promotions came slowly, but that did not diminish McNamara's respect for Aiden's combat experience.

"Heaven spare me that." McNamara chuckled. "Elder Elijah does a good job leading us to on the right path."

"That is good to hear, I can't say much about the chapter in San Francisco, the Shi seem to be getting more powerful each day."

"Maybe that is why High Elder Maxson has called us all together? To address that potential threat?" McNamara said uneasily, noting the heavy concentration of Brotherhood troops and equipment he had witnessed the past few weeks.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself, but that's a possibility. Either way, it is going to be big. I've never seen so many senior Paladins and Elders in one place like this. One well placed bomb-"

McNamara glanced around the underground hallways of the bunker, but already he saw that security was extra tight. With platoons of Power armored soldiers making regular rounds across the halls. In the lounging area of the bunker, several dozen Paladins and knights casually conversed with each other, waiting on word from their leaders.

"Now now Nolan, no need to get paranoid, now that the Enclave is gone eh?" Aiden jokingly slapped his friend on the back. "Besides, you'll find out soon enough, the meeting is for members Star Paladin Class and above, you'll have to inform us lowly knights after the briefing." Aiden said slyly, just as he led his friend to the solid steel doors with the emblem of the sword and cog of the Brotherhood of Steel emblazoned on it.

McNamara nodded, stepping through the doors as the two guards verified his holotag. A retinal eye scanner by the wall and thumb print scanner verified his biological information as well, cross referencing it with the one hundred members in the Brotherhood of Steel that had access to this one room. The heart of Brotherhood chain and command.

The door opened to reveal a somewhat anxious Elder Elijah, recently promoted by the Mojave Chapter, he was the youngest Elder in the chapter's history, known for his unconventional methods that produced quick results.

The room itself was filled with dozens of Brotherhood Generals and Paladins, all in their advanced Power Armor. The mummer of conversations and laughs echoed through the room as old comrades exchanged notes, and made small talk.

Before Paladin McNamara could even ask what was bothering his elder, the lights in the room suddenly turned brighter, highlighting a podium at the center of the room.

"Good Morning Everyone."

A hard, stern voice echoed over the PA system, and in that instant, the room stiffened to attention. McNamara himself, having heard this voice only through couriered holotapes, could not believe it. On a podium, near the center of the conference chamber, was a tall well built man in elder's robes. Though he was supposedly in his mid forties, he looked young and vital. For a second, he couldn't believe he was staring at this man in the flesh, the descendent of the Legendary founder of the Brotherhood, the man whose intelligence, knowledge and benevolence was known throughout the order. Some of the more reverent members of the Brotherhood even knelt in awe before him. All however, bowed in respect.

High Elder Jeremy Maxson nodded in acknowledgement, gesturing his hand to make sure everyone remained at ease.

"I am glad that you are all able to make it here today Brothers, for today is indeed a historic day."

High Elder Maxson smiled, savouring the moment, knowing that at this moment, all of the Brotherhood's mightiest warriors and generals had focused their attention on him. As head of the largest Techno-religious organization in the Wasteland, there were some who considered him something of a prophet.

"The Path of the Brotherhood of Steel is not an easy one Brothers, as you all know. Forged in the fires of the apocalypse, we have sworn to preserve and protect the gifts of technology that would have been lost in the flame, so that man may rise up once again from the ashes." The Elder's voice boomed as he projected it across the room, sending shivers down the spine of McNamara, touching deeply on the faith that had been imbued in him as long as he served.

"We now come at a crossroads Brothers and Sisters, though we are still strong, as you can see by the gathering in this room, this very bunker. We are dwindling in numbers. Threatened on all sides by friends and foe _alike."_

Maxson smiled as he caught the eye of several of his promising officers caught off guard by that statement. There were those who may have objected to his words, Paladin Lyons and Scribe Rothchild coming to mind, but he had been sure to send them off on a technology gathering expeditionary force to the East, where he expected them to remain, indefinitely.

With that pleasant thought in mind, he continued the speech.

"Today, the New California Republic is annexing their neighbouring state, the Hub. While this is great for them, it poses serious questions for us. We have all seen how relentlessly the NCR has been expanding these past few years, and that my Brothers and sisters, is a cause for concern." He voice nearly trembled with passion as he spoke the next parts.

"For decades we have watched the small settlement of Shady Sands grow under our watch, prospering and growing into this Republic while living under the very blanket of security we provided, and what do they do in return? They siphon off sacred technology from our bunkers, hoarding it for their own bases and cities. They claim to be the true heirs of the old world, the last hope of the new world, ignoring all the vital contributions we've made over a _century_ ago. They build a government bloated with corruption and bureaucracy and call it progress. This morning, we've recently received a formal request for annexation with the NCR. I say, we draw the line, **today!**"

The room suddenly hushed in silence. High Elder Maxson hinted at it, but never said it outright, until today.

"Brothers… Sisters…... I must ask you to once more bring glory to the Brotherhood. I have seen what the NCR has to offer and I will tell you, it is nothing new! It is the same corruption and filth that had doomed our world two centuries ago. It is the same distain and ignorance of the power of technology that caused men to casually destroy the world at the touch of a button. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, those that do not respect technology, do not deserve to have it."

The officers remained silent, in awe of what the Elder was about to say next.

"Mark my words, if we allow the NCR to continue on this path we will find nothing but destruction in our future. History will repeat itself. It is our sacred duty to the Brotherhood, no….to humanity, that the NCR does not grow any stronger."

"That means only one thing. War. A great war. A cleansing war." Maxson said this solemnly, and the rest of the bunker remained hauntingly silent. The words uttered by the High Elder echoed through the chamber, resounding in the hearts and minds of every man and woman listening.

"Our fathers died for the sins of others. That will never happen to us again. We have become self-sufficient. We have become keepers of knowledge and lore. We have survived the end of civilization. We take responsibility for our actions, and we hold accountable the actions of others. **WE are the future.**"

"This is as much our pledge to humanity as it is my pledge to you. The Brotherhood of Steel is justly named. We are a Brotherhood. Unlike our fathers, we will stand back to back with those that share our convictions and beliefs."

"We are steel. We are hard. We have been sharpened to an edge. We are the Brotherhood of Steel. And we will prevail."

The room hushed, making it possible to hear even a pin drop.

"Your Elders and generals will have been briefed already, go forth, and bring glory to us. And always remember the fires that we were forged in. Never forget."

He nodded towards the officers.

"Dismissed."

As the high elder exited the room, the Elders and Generals exploded into a bustle of conversation, some men, righteously infuriated with the so called 'friendly' NCR, vowed vengeance while other officers watched quietly, as men applauded the coming of another war that would change the face of the Wasteland forever.

Paladin Nolan McNamara watched silently as he and Elder Elijah conferred near the door.

"So that's it then? Everything is to change?"

Elder Elijah shook his head anxiously. "No Nolan, everything has already changed. We prepare for war."


	2. Preparation

_"Those who protest against war are damned hypocrites, don't they realize that the very freedom that gives them a voice was paid for by the blood of our brothers and sisters who served and died on the front lines?"_

_– Anonymous NCR Ranger_

* * *

**Preparation**

**Shady Sands, NCR Capital**

Today was a big day for the New California Republic, and already the streets were filled with armed guards and curious citizens all coming to take a look at the parade preparations being set up. The Hub was to be inducted into the Federation of Tribes and Nations that made up the Great Republic, and that didn't come without its own share of fanfare.

President Joanna Tibbett watched all this quietly from the office window of her Presidential Suite, amazed at just how much greater the Republic had grown. What President Tandi, god rest her soul, had done over the course of fifty years was amazing. Not only was there an organized government and military, but Shady Sands itself was starting to resemble a city, maybe even a pre-war sized one. Streets were paved, new fangled structures, ones built from actual brick and mortar were laid, completely different from the tribal huts and dirt that her grandparents had talked about. The capital was no longer a primitive tribal village, but a city, one as grand as wealthy as any in the pre-war days.

All this power and wealth however, came with a solemn responsibility, and Joanna never realized the tremendous weight of this office until the day she heard President Tandi had passed away. She would always remember, etched into her memory, the last time she saw her, eyes burning with determination, strength, hope, perhaps reminding herself of what she could have done had she been younger. But Tandi never let that get to her, always making the best of her remaining time. That was perhaps why Joanna admired her so much, she was truly the mother of this country, the bravest woman she had ever known and she had been proud to work with her as her Vice President and know her as a person.

She never did bring herself to sit on Tandi's desk, well, aside from greeting dignitaries. Other than that, she contented herself with touring the country that Tandi had left her. Over seven hundred thousand souls. The largest country in the post-war wasteland. The republic was her country, more importantly, it represented the dreams of not only Tandi, but everyone who worked to achieve it. It was the idea that people can get together, set aside their differences, and work together to build something great.

President Tibbett smiled as she looked at the statue of the Vault Dweller sitting in the heart of the district, depicting him proudly stepping towards a brighter future. What kind of man was he to inspire President Tandi so?

"Madame President?" She turned to see her assistant fumbling nervously with some papers.

"Yes?" President Tibbett asked.

"Vice President Carlson is here to see you."

President Tibbett nodded slightly. Ever since Tandi had passed away, even before she had passed away, Frank Carlson had been one of the most radical right-wing members of the cabinet, even trying to maneuver his way to impeach Tandi for being too soft. She could only imagine what this man felt about her.

The Vice President walked in slowly, his frail limp figure resting heavily on a walking cane. But even Tibbett knew this was a man to be reckoned with, one of the most powerful politicians in the NCR, aside from Westin. It was councilman Westin, one of Tandi's most powerful supporters, who had this for her as the first word of advice when she took office: watch this man.

"Good morning Joanna, I hope the day is treating you well."

"Thank you Frank," Joanna put on a diplomatic smile. "It's not often I see you here topside. I was half expecting you to be at the Hall of Congress for the inauguration."

The Vice President let out a small hacking cough as he smiled politely. "No, I'm afraid the years have been getting onto me, I'll leave such activities to the younger politicians."

"Still, it is a great thing to witness? Another state joining our great republic?" Joanna added.

"I agree, though I can't help but think that this could have been done over a decade ago." The Vice President said.

"You know President Tandi would never approve of a military solution." Joanna said flatly.

Frank Carlson chuckled softly, as though he had had this conversation dozens of times. "Yes Yes, that old argument, well, I can tell you now that despite the methods, I am happy with the outcome that Tandi negotiated. I've always wondered why she stuck with me, even though I was her most vocal opponent."

"That was probably why she hired you." Tibbett replied, "she needed someone to keep her on guard. Or at least offer more ideas."

"Aye," Carlson replied. "That part I probably did well."

"Look, in case we're getting too caught up in these fake political conversations. I'll be honest with you Joanna. I know you may have some opinions about me, but believe me when I say I want our republic to succeed as much as you do. We just have a different approach."

President Tibbett raised her eyebrow. "Go on."

"I'll say this. I won't fight Tandi's decision, hell I've been fighting that woman for decades and she hasn't budged an inch, but she led us right and I'm man enough to know when I've made a bad choice. I know my time has past, and I was probably wrong to advocate half the stuff I fought for." Tibbett nodded quietly, remembering that this was the man who wanted to put the NCR on a permanent military governorship until they had pacified the wastes. That ran contradictory to all of Tandi's beliefs. "diplomacy has always been our way.", she had said.

" I've just come to say this. Being president is no small thing, I'll be on your backside to make sure you live up her Tandi's expectation and her goals and ours."

President Tibbett let out a long sigh, the fact that Carlson came out in the open like this meant that he was in most cases, not a personal enemy, but simply a political opponent. That she could deal with. The ground rules he set weren't easy, but they were fair. And she would do her best to live up to the impossible expectation.

"Fair enough Vice President Carlson, I promise I will do my best to live up to this dream, but I will also need your help to do so." She smiled, extending her hand towards her former political enemy.

"That I can promise you Madame President." Carlson nodded, taking her hand and shaking it firmly."I wish you best of luck, I suppose the best is yet to come."

Joanna nodded, slightly comforted by that fact. "I only wish President Tandi were alive to see this. It's an exciting time to be NCR."

* * *

**Maxson Bunker, Brotherhood of Steel Headquarters**

Despite what some people thought about the Brotherhood's low numbers, there _were _advantages to being secretive and spending the last hundred years stockpiling untold amounts of pre-war tech and weaponry. It meant you had the latest in long distance communications technologies that were all but lost when the bombs fell, not to mention the large databases required to store up to date intel on every political, military and covert operation that had gone on in every faction for the last hundred years. That, and the mountains of shiny unused pre-war weapons that could level a town at the push of a button.

Yes, there were definitely advantages.

Elder Elijah thought carefully as he and the other elders gathered around the Maxson council room. He counted around the room, being a decentralized organization, not even he knew how many chapters the Brotherhood had, but if he had to guess, almost all of the Brotherhood of Steel's leadership was sitting right at this table. Each person wore the ceremonial elder's robes that came with the job, denoting their status within the Brotherhood.

Maxson began the meeting with a roll call, not just for his purposes, but to also let everyone in the room know the scale of the operation that was about to happen. Something that had never been attempted before in the annuls of the Organization.

"The Den chapter is ready high Elder, all eighty nine members." Elder Joshua stepped forward, nodding to High Elder Maxson.

"Shady Sands stands with you sir. All hundred and twenty eight members." Elder Hail, a heavy-set balding elder stood up.

High Elder Maxson looked across the room as more elders took the roll call.

"Sacramento, two hundred Paladins and Knights stand ready at your call."

"New Reno, sixty seven members reporting for duty."

The names of various cities around the core region continued in the roll call, cities far and wide, famous and unknown. Fresno, Dayglow (San Diego), Mariposa, The Boneyard (Los Angeles), San Francisco.

Elder Elijah felt a small lump in his throat as he spoke. "Mojave chapter high elder, all hundred and fifty members ready."

There were small murmurs amongst the Elders as Elijah's numbers came up. Some elders prided themselves on the exclusivity of their chapters, hence their low numbers, while others actively recruited talent in their chapter cities to continue growing. The codex gave all authority of recruitment to the Elder, so the other elders would not comment, but usually the more liberally minded Elders stood out from just the size of their chapters.

Although Elijah each elder inflated the numbers by including initiates and scribes, these numbers weren't far from the truth, since the Brotherhood was one of the most militarized forces in the Wastes, aside from the Enclave. Every initiate, every scribe was given training and expected to know how to handle themselves in a fight.

"Excellent." High Elder Maxson smiled as he took the information in. "Now that we are committed, we can begin planning the strategy of this war which will help us reassert our rightful place in the Wastelands."

The other elders nodded quietly. Although it was true that the Brotherhood had more members in the past, this was the New California Republic, the largest organization in the Post-Apocalyptic wasteland. With a population in the hundreds of thousands, although there was never an official count, from the roll call he just heard, Elijah guessed that perhaps the Brotherhood had fifteen hundred members at most.

In addition to low numbers, the Brotherhood was spread across the California in small bunkers and installations, safely hidden from the eyes of common folk.

Elijah watched quietly as Elder Maxson highlighted the next parts of his strategy.

"The objectives of this campaign are very simple. The destruction of the NCR's military capabilities as well as the salvaging of any technologies and weapons we can find from them. Dismantling the NCR will follow, including the destruction of several important political targets. Most high on the list, are the executive council and congress. Each chapter will be assigned targets, of military and political nature, how these objectives are eliminated will be left to the discretion of the chapter."

"High Elder, one thing worries me." Elder Elijah was the first to speak up.

Jeremy Maxson nodded, gesturing for Elijah to continue. "By all means Elder Elijah, I value your input as much as any general.

"Thank you high Elder." Elijah bowed his head in respect. "What is to prevent the NCR from simply overwhelming us? It is true our soldiers are far superior, but they have the numbers, what is to stop them from eventually massing enough troops to overwhelm us?"

"Good question." Jeremy Maxson nodded, as though he were anticipating it. "First off, the highest priority military targets will be communications. NCR is still relying, as far as we know, on pre-war radios, primitive and easily jammed and destroyed. Several chapters will be assigned to focus solely on attacking communications. They may have a large army, but without proper coordination they are useless, that, and if you consider our own proper channels of communication, we will have the ability to concentrate and coordinate our forces to the point where our numbers will be a small issue in this fight."

"And if the NCR manages to organize a resistance?" Another Elder asked.

"Once their government is destroyed, the rest will fall like a house of cards. The Republic is still new, and there are still cities and factions that seek the former independence they once enjoyed. Take out the president and their congress, and the NCR is no more."

The elders nodded in agreement as they heard this.

"I realize that the task I ask of you is the greatest we have ever faced, but it must be done." High Elder Maxson began. "and that there is no way we can simply form an army in the conventional sense, not counting distance and logistics, so here is what I propose."

High Elder Maxson gestured to his right, where a tall, imposing Brotherhood soldier stood, wearing the bulky T51b armor with a ceremonial black cape flowing behind him. His gruff face was scarred on the cheek, denoting his wounds in previous battles, while he sported a military style haircut.

"Each chapter will nominate a paladin commander, who in turn is answerable to Paladin General Sword right next to me. Although separate, we will each adhere to one overarching strategy and work to a common purpose. Unless Paladin General Sword says otherwise, each chapter is free to conduct tactical offensives on their own initiative"

Officially they were answerable to the Lost Hilsl council, but even Jeremy Maxson saw the wisdom in stepping back from micromanaging this war down to the last soldier.

"Now then Gentlemen, return to your chapters and await the signal. In three days time. We strike. Get to work. I want the names of your Paladin commanders to me by today."

* * *

**Camp "Zeta", near Hub Police Station**

Working within the structure of the NCR army required tons of patience, aside from the slow, inefficient bureaucracy and guidelines, there were also the REMFs and their officers, whose weapons included forms, identification papers and routine inspections.

That was perhaps why Reyner enjoyed being in 1st recon. They had no rigid battalion command structure to adhere to, as 1st recon, like rangers, were trained to think and fight independently, so their squads were less weighed down by chain of command and discipline was slightly more lax, with skill being the prime virtue.

He looked around the camp, set up in a large field by the Police Station, which consisted of over dozens hastily set up tents, a medical bay and a makeshift armory from a small APC. Although the Hub had not yet been formally integrated into the NCR, the brass evidently decided it was never a bad idea to get a head start. There must have been several hundred NCR soldiers holed up in the Hub alone.

He and his men made their way past the throng of soldiers to the assembly tent, where the rest of his battalion waited. Several familiar faces nodded at Sergeant Reyner, friends and comrades from fights past, but the most noticeable feature he saw was the presence of NCR rangers. Special forces units within the army. They were the toughest, meanest and most respected branch of the army, having first dibs on the best weapons, armor and promotions. Even as he walked towards the assembly tent, he noticed several members of his platoon eyeing the composite combat armors and trail carbines of the Rangers enviously.

"Seems like a large gathering for a small recon mission." PFC Wright commented absent mindedly.

"Get used to it Wright, in a few days, I hear General Polins moving his entire division here. My advice, ue the latrine now while you can. It's about to get a lot more crowded." Private Morales said.

"Stow it Trooper." Sergeant Reyner snapped. "We do our jobs, get paid and get our furlough back in Shady Sands. Last thing I need is more bitching."

As they entered the tent, the soldiers took their places amidst the chattering storm of NCR troopers that had entered the Hub.

"Battalion! Atten-shun!"

The NCR troopers instinctively shot to their feet as the sergeants sounded off. Colonel Ellis, followed by his staff, entered the room, nodding to the men as he passed.

"At ease gentlemen." The officer said, his voice projecting over the room as he spoke. "I apologize for calling you up on such short notice, and for calling some of you off duty, but we've got a task to do."

"As most of you may have heard, we are formally integrating the Hub into the New California Republic three days from now. We have recon units sweeping the area for signs of trouble but intelligence suspecting a major insurgent threat developing in the form of an organization called the Hub Underground. No confirmation yet to their plans, but we've received reports of a massive weapons shipment going through the Hub recently. We suspect it may have to do with their future plans."

The NCR troopers nodded as Colonel Ellis rattled off the facts non-chalantly, the prospect of leading a major raid and assault on criminals excited even the greenest trooper.

"So that's why we are involved. This comes straight from Councilman Westin and by extension the President. They've tapped fifth battalion to head the raid. I'm detailing a platoon of 1st recon and Bravo company to this." Ellis then nodded to Sergeant Reyner.

"The prez knows who gets the job done best." PFC Wright, remarked with a sneer.

"I'm having maps of the Hub drawn up for your officers for those of you unfamiliar with the area. We suspect that the underground is holed up near a downtown bar called the Maltese Falcon. Get your gear and prepare to move out within the next hour. I've authorized the armory master to prepare for a heavy loadout. Who knows what the rebs have planned but I won't let you go unprepared. Dismissed."

Reyner nodded to his men. "You heard 'em first recon. We're moving out."

PFC Wright nodded. "Yeah, wonder who Bravo company is though. Not like we've worked with 5th Battalion before…"

Just as Wright was about to finish his sentence, one of the officers, a middle aged man wearing heavy plated composite NCR armor, saluted to Sergeant Reyner.

"1st recon huh?" He said with a slight grin on his face, looks like we'll be working together. "Ranger Hanlon, Bravo company, fifth battalion. Pleasure to meet ya. Looks like we'll be working together to bring down some thugs."

Reyner saluted in turn, taken aback by the Ranger's friendly demeanor. "Sergeant Reyner, 1st recon. The pleasure's all mine sir."

PFC Wright meanwhile, just grumbled under his breath. "Oh great, it had to be fucking Rangers….."

* * *

**Note: For those of you who study Fallout Wiki as much as I do, Tibbett was NCR President until 2253, I hope you will forgive this one little change to the timeline. I figured it'd be more interesting trying to write it from her point of view, that and I chose 2254 A.D partly because Lyons and Rothchild leaving the core region to the Capital Wasteland so they don't encourage dissent against the war (explaining why perhaps the more liberally minded BoS members are sent east by Maxson)**

**Agent 94: HAHA yes, i always keep Vault Wiki on hand whenever i write ;) i've only played FO3 and NV to my shame. One day i'll pick up 1 and 2**

**AnonOmous: Thanks! I've yet to play Dead Money yet but i'm for sure going to play it through before i finish with this story. Hopefully itll give me some ideas.**

**To all those following: Thanks for reading!**


	3. Gathering Storm

_"If you deal in death, then it shall be your payment." – Old Shi Proverb_

**Chapter 3: Gathering Storm**

**

* * *

**

**HUB, Downtown**

The busy streets of the Hub began to die down as the last rays of the sun went down over the Wasteland horizon. Merchants and caravans soon secured their wares in anticipation of the coming night. The Nightlife in the Hub was not as violent or chaotic as New Reno or the Den, but it was dangerous all the same. Patrols of Hub Police forces and paramilitary units stood guard at street corners, watching the drunkards and chem addicts in case they threatened the peace. With no visible gun laws, or laws in general, one never knew what surprises would come.

The officers however, did have one order, to ignore the company sized forces that moved into the alleyways. Dozens of men and women in dark khaki garbs and trooper helmets, armed with service rifles and carbines. The police were strategically placed to cordon off any civilians from the downtown core, specifically by the Maltese Falcon, an old pre-war hotel that stood towering above its neighbouring buildings. Owned previously by the crime lord Decker, it passed hands onto his successors when he was removed decades ago by some do-good citizen.

Ranger Hanlon, noted the placements of the guards, mercenaries. PMCs or bounty hunters that were assigned posts to guard their paymaster's weapons no doubt; they were scum, willing to kill for even a few bottle caps. Though he had experience in dealing with these scum back in his tours at the Den and New Reno.

"Beautiful. Just Beautiful." Hanlon remarked as he passed the binoculars to Sergeant Reyner. "Don't think even the Muties or Salvadores were this careless." Within seconds, Reyner knew what Hanlon was referring to. The mercenaries of the underground didn't seem aware of an impending attack at all, or did not even bother setting proper pickets or lookouts. Instead, most of them were in the bar getting drunk, while several more simply chatted it up outside the hotel, having a smoke and drink.

Reyner had to agree himself, whoever did this set up was either cocky, or stupid in the extreme.

"Your first recon men set up?" Hanlon asked casually, chewing on a wad of tobacco as he ordered Bravo company to take up positions on the radio. By now, NCR troopers were assembling near the rooftops and windows of the buildings surrounding the Maltese, while two platoons of shock troops. Heavy Rangers in composite armor, waited for his signal to bust in.

"Yes sir." Reyner nodded, having sent off Wright with Morales and Benson with Jenkins to cover the approaches. Each man armed with a scoped hunting rifle that the Recon units favored, while his spotter used a pre-war service rifle. "We have all avenues on the building covered, my men are ready to move in on your command."

Hanlon grinned as he spat out his piece of tobacco. "Good, all we need to do is wait for the big boss to show up, then we move in."

"You figure he'll show?" Reyner inquired

Hanlon shrugged. "Hell if I know, but that's why the Colonel picked recon and rangers for this gig, unlike reg army, we have patience." The ranger chuckled.

"If your snipers can locate him, then my boys will do the rest. Take him out if you can, but seeing as we have two days left until the big ceremony, I'd like to move it tomorrow before they can get their plan into gear."

"Sounds good sir." Reyner nodded, "I'll let my men know."

"Good, and Sergeant?" Hanlon added, "Do this gig right and I'll see that your platoon is commended properly, maybe I can have a spot open in the rangers."

Sergeant Reyner saluted, noting this in his mind. The Rangers were the most prestigious and famed unit in the NCR army, and many recruits joined with the intention of transferring to the Rangers for the best and most exciting assignments. "Thanks for the offer sir, can't say for some of my men, but I'd reckon I'll stay first Recon."

Hanlon, instead of being offended, simply slapped Reyner on the back. "Good to meet a man who knows where his loyalty lies, but my offer stands. God knows the Rangers can't recruit from regular army, with all those REMFs."

"Morales I think, is the one you should talk to. He's expressed interest in joining the Rangers."

Hanlon raised an eyebrow. "That so? Well I'll have to see. The Chief wanted a platoon, but I'll see if I can sweet talk her to accept individual recruits."

Reyner chuckled quietly as he heard this, Rangers were always on the lookout to actively recruit the best men, to the detriment of regular army and recon units around them.

As he turned, he saw PFC Wright waving at him from his vantage point on the rooftop.

Sighing, Reyner picked up the shortrange radio.

"Report Wright, anything on your front?" Reyner aske.d

"Not yet sergeant, but Morales is wondering whether we'll need to take part in the assault."

Eager son of a bitch wasn't he? Hanlon thought, then nodded. "If the situation calls for it, I'll request for Recon to join us, but for now stay at your post."

"You got that Private?" Sergeant Reyner replied through the radio.

"Sir, but I'll prep some grenades just in case."

"Grenades?" Sergeant Reyner deferred to Hanlon, but he shook his head."

"No private, there's no telling what kind of explosives they have stored in there. No, we go in swiftly and quietly. I don't want to set off anything that might level half the city."

Even at the distance between the two buildings, Reyner could see PFC Wright gave disappointed look on his face, but he picked up his sniper rifle and side arm and focused his sights on the Hotel door.

Any day now…

* * *

**Brotherhood Chapter Bunker, Edge of Mojave Wasteland**

The briefing room in the bunker fell silent as Elder Elijah brought the news of the briefing from Maxson bunker to his men. Several seemed in a daze that the High Elder would attempt something so large and unprecedented. Some Paladins, such as Hardin, were eager for the fight, but the majority remained silent, the shock still setting in.

Elijah quickly pushed his own feelings aside, trusting in the judgment of the High Elder. It had been hours since they travelled from Maxson bunker, using one of the stolen Vertibirds that the Brotherhood had salvaged from the Enclave, and both Elder Elijah and Paladin McNamara were exhausted.

"And that is what we are facing my friends." Elijah continued "A war of unprecedented scale and ferocity, but one which the Brotherhood must win."

It was a hard fact to stomach for some, who had joined in the punitive expedition to Navarro, fighting alongside the Shi and NCR against the Enclave, and now they were being asked to attack their former comrades in arms.

The majority however, had never heard of the NCR, having spent their time underground. They were apprehensive, but nevertheless, excited at the prospect of leaving for the surface and getting combat experience.

"My knights stand by you, Elder Elijah, we will crush our enemies and bring glory and honor to the Mojave chapter." Elijah turned to see Edgar Hardin, one of his top Paladins already dressed in battle gear. Behind him, his platoon of Brotherhood knights in T51b armor followed, armed to the teeth with plasma rifles, gatling lasers and incinerators.

"As always my friend, your support is welcome." Elder Elijah smiled, then turned to his scribes and initiates. "This is a challenge greater than any we have faced, so when the time comes, I want each of you to remain within the safety of the bunker. Please know that I do not mean this as an insult, but it is for your safety."

The scribes, many of them still young and inexperienced, turned to Elijah as something of a father figure, some even calling him 'Father' Elijah. As he spoke, he adopted the paternal tone of a parent. Authoritative, caring, protective.

"In the years I have known you, I have come to respect and care for you as if you were my own family. But that isn't far from the truth Brothers and Sisters, We are a family. When I look into the eyes of each and every one of you, I see the future. I see hope."

Elijah turned to his scribes, several dozen of them, some new and young, some old.

"I know each of you is as strong as any warrior of our chapter, but if we lose you, we lose everything. Although we are descended from a military organization, we are ultimately the keepers of knowledge. And the scribes are where the knowledge of the Brotherhood rests. No matter what happens, we need you to live on and carry on the sacred work.

Almost as one, the scribes nodded solemnly, while Head Scribe Taggert stepped up. "We will do as you ask Elder."

"As I know you would old friend." Elijah smiled softly, then turned to the rest of his beloved chapter.

"Friends, as you know, Paladin General Sword is in charge of military operations. I will nominate a Paladin commander to liason with him and coordinate the war effort. In that task, I will entrust Star Paladin McNamara."

Elder Elijah turned to Nolan, who was shocked by this pronouncement, some of the Paladins, including Hardin, simply stared quietly, trying hard to hid his discomfort. Any murmurs or grumbles were quickly extinguished as the elder produced his prize. In Elijah's hand, was the ceremonial garments that had been blessed by Maxson himself.

"Paladin McNamara, you are our Paladin Commander. I entrust the lives of our brothers, sisters and family to you. You've come a long way in the years that I've known you and you've earned this. I know you'll make us proud." He then draped the ceremonial cape of all Brotherhood commanders over McNamara's armor, emblazoned with the sword and wings of the Brotherhood, the blue silk flowing behind his armor that gave each Paladin Commander the aura of authority and command.

Visibly shaken, Nolan gathered his courage and gave a formal military salute. "I will lead us to victory, Elder Elijah."

"Then it is done." Elijah smiled. "Although there is war, we must not waver in our commitment to bringing in technology that will one day better the wasteland. I expect each and every one of you to work twice as hard now that our brave warriors are fighting elsewhere for our freedom and future."

McNamara, fully assuming his role as Paladin Commander, simply put on his power armored helmet, cloaking his visage behind the face of steel that made all their enemies tremble.

Several Paladins jumped forward to the podium, saluting and shaking hands with Nolan. Paladin Vincent Santangelo, the Head Paladin of the guild, saluted his friend cheerfully. "Congradulations Nolan, this is a long time coming."

Now, it was time for the new Paladin Commander to speak.

"Thank you my friends, my brothers." McNamara said, his voice trembled with intoxication of the passion and excitement of the moment. "It will be an honor to lead you to glory and to battle. In the name of the High Elder, we go to War! To Arms!"

"To victory! In the name of Maxson! Glory to the Brotherhood!" The Paladins in the room roared, raising their rifles high in the air.

* * *

**Maxson Bunker, Brotherhood of Steel HQ**

The low roar of fusion powered Vertibird engines spread throughout the tarmac, blowing clouds of dust and unsettling anything that wasn't properly secured. Men and women rushed, some in pilots uniforms, others in full grade power armor, all had their chapters to report to, and the Elders had to organize their chapters for the coming offensive.

Below in the bunker, High Elder Maxson began the final preparations for the next phase of his plan. General Brixley and her squad of knights were to be in charge of Maxson bunker while everything else was being moved to the Lost Hills bunker. Situated strategically in the middle of the core region, Elder Maxson decided it was the best place to coordinate his forces.

As he stepped onto the tarmac, he wondered whether his decision was the right one after all….

He still remembered the face of his beloved son, even as he sent him away all those days ago.

_"Father, I won't leave your side. I will stay and see this through with you to the end."_

_Those words had almost brought tears of pride in his eyes. He had witnessed the marriage of his son to his daughter-in-law. The newly wed Jonathan and Jessica Maxson. It was a historic day, a proud day. Where Maxson finally had the confirmation that his line would live on, that the dynasty and glory of the Brotherhood would survive another generation. He had watched his son all his life, from the troublemaking boy to the upstart teenager. Now, he was ready to let go._

_"My son." High Elder Maxson tightly gripped the shoulder of his son, a fully ranked Paladin._

_"We are about to embark on the greatest journey of the Brotherhood, one that will either be our destruction or result in our Brotherhood being reborn anew._

_"There are great risks here, if we should fall here, you will need to start anew in the East and with your own family in time. Paladin Owyn Lyons isn't the most obedient of my commanders, he questions my orders too much," He chuckled at that thought, "But he is resourceful. You and Jessica will be safe with him. Once you locate the Capital and its armories, send me a signal to know you are safe, then you can send whatever bounties you find back to us to aid our war. That is how you can help me."_

_"We are the last of our family son, the end of a great line that led the remnants of humanity out the dark. It is our sacred duty to see this journey to the end. And I must see it here in the west. Your future is in the East. I know you will make us proud."  
_

"Sir!"

Another voice snapped him out of the day dream, and High Elder Maxson turned to see General Andrea Brixley saluting him, her squadron of knights in tow.

"Preparations are ready for departure sir, all Elders have made it back to their bunkers safely."

Maxson nodded, "Then Steel be with you General. I will contact you from Lost Hills once this conflict is settled."

"Steel preserve you as well High Elder." Jeremy Maxson saluted his subordinate, even as he stepped into the platform of the Vertibird that began the steady upward climb into the Wasteland's night sky.

* * *

**HUB – Maltese Falcon, 3:05 am**

Kane Doherty, one of the most respected and influential crime bosses in the Hub, watched with displeasure as he saw some of his guards lying in drunken heaps on the street. Good help was so hard to find these days, but bad help was easy enough to get rid of. He had just gotten back from the meeting with his contact. The gears were in motion for something big throwing down in the Hub, and he intended for the Underground to profit from it. The details were sketch, but the promise of the old power his great grand daddy used to enjoy, having cops fearfully avoiding his men in the streets, having the greedy merchants eating out of his hand for protection while he ran the town. He couldn't wait.

Even in the dead of night, the Maltese Falcon resembled a combination of a nightclub and bar of old times, dozens of refugees, traders, soldiers of different races, creeds and occupations huddled together, protected in their safe haven in the wastes. Having lived another day, the drug addicts, wastelanders, mercenaries, slavers all drowned their sorrows and accomplishments in the communal pool of alcohol and jet. No one even noticed as Kane walked past the roaring crowd, entering into the underground bunker of his shop.

Caleb, an old time mercenary sporting an eyepatch, downed a pint next to a super mutant, both downing their drinks within seconds, having put forth a bet that any normal human could outdrink their bulkier counterparts two to one. The assembled mercenaries cheered, raising their glasses. Most of the soldiers resembled ragtag militia with impromptu armor and fatigues.

The bartender, a balding heavyset man, opened up another crate of captured supplies. The successful raids of the past months had been a great boon to the Underground, and most importantly, to the liquor store.

"A toast!" Caleb, the veteran laughed drunkenly "to living beyond mere survival!"

"To living!" The group shouted, clinking glasses and downing drinks.

Outside, away from all the celebrations, several dozen vigilant militia replaced the inept guards on watch. With the NCR coming into town seeking annexation, they were on high alert, armed to the teeth with pre-war assault rifles.

The merc leader Harvings plopped back on the folding camp chair they had salvaged from a pre-war department store, humming to himself as he and his squad of thirty other men kept a watch on the downtown area.

The peaceful, dull moment was soon broken however.

"Guys!" Harvings eyed the newbie in the outfit. Annoyed as he shouted, gasping, as he ran to the street barricade "You're not going to believe what I found-"

"Calm down blooper," Harvings interrupted. "You want to wake every damn NCR ranger and Cop in the area?"

The Merc composed himself, clearing his throat.

"Sorry, I just...found something new while scavenging."

"What is that private?"

"Dunno, I've...never seen anything like it."

"You found some porn then kid?" One of the veterans burst out laughing, while the private's face flushed red.

"Even better sir." The kid grinned reached into his back pocket, pulling out two bottles of whiskey. Before Sergeant Harvings could even congratulate the young man, a pair of neat holes were punched in his face. One through his nasal cavity, another through his eyes. Two thin lines of blood trickled down from his face, and the man collapsed on his feet.

The private, and several of the nearby militia were soon down as well, suffering the same fates.

_"Wave goodbye to your head mate" PFC Wright smirked as he propped his hunting rifle across the ledger of the roof._

_"Good hit, clean through his eyes." Private Morales said approvingly, spotting for his friend as he observed more bodies dropping through his binoculars._

"Alright Troopers, let's show these fuckers how the Bear does business!" Ranger Hanlon said over the radio. "Time for some indiscriminate Justice."

The Rangers in the streets and alleyways nodded. And within seconds, the streets blazed with heavy gunfire as Rangers, and NCR Troopers poured every manner of bullet and explosive into the Maltese Falcon. The gunshots echoing into the night.

* * *

"What the fuck?" was all Caleb could say as every window and glass shattered within the vicinity. The super mutant, whom he had been drinking with just now, simply had his head explode into a cloud of blood and bone. The whiskey bottle he held shattered to pieces. Screams and shouts echoed the bar as militia and mercenaries scrambled behind tables, counters, anything that provided cover, and unholstering their weapons.

Though he was drunk, Caleb had enough sense to pull out his assault rifle, firing into the darkness.

Two more mercenaries stood up to head to the windows, but their heads simply exploded when they showed up from cover. _Snipers._ Whoever these guys were, they were good.

Another explosion shook the walls, shaking loose soot and plaster that bounced off his leather armor. Three more men fell near the front door as dark, heavily armored soldiers ran into the room, blasting everything in sight.

"It's the NCR! Fuck, it's the NCR!" One of the mercs shouted, just as his chest exploded from a sniper rifle round.

"Let 'em have it!"

_

* * *

_Gunfire poured down from the surrounding buildings and streets as Bravo company and first recon decimated the militia and mercenaries outside the Falcon. Several dived for cover behind the street barricades while others fired blindly into the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.

By that time however, the NCR ranger's and the shock troops had assaulted as two platoons, assuming cover and fire tactics that swept the street clean of hostiles. First Recon meanwhile, had a clear view from the broken windows and doorways into the bar, firing at any hostiles with weapons. Several terrified drunkards and civilians made a beeline for the exit, running into the streets. The Rangers left them alone, focusing on the determined bank of mercs that created an impromptu barricade from tables and chairs in the bar.

The militia in the street had no chance, having already been flanked by enfilade fire from the surrounding buildings, they died to a man where they stood.

The rifle snapped back for Sergeant Reyner as he fired again, hitting a man square in the chest as he ran for the cover of an alleyway. The militia were armed with a variety of weapons, assault rifles, shotguns, explosives, but half didn't get the chance to use it, having been swept in the first wave of gunfire.

Ranger Hanlon meanwhile, kept watch as the militia and mercenaries conceded the street, retreating to the barricade within the bar. With that, he radioed fourth and fifth platoon to move into the building itself. Two more platoons covered the rear and side entrances to the building, no one was getting in, or out. Not until Kane was dealt with.

* * *

Caleb felt the kick of his assault rifle as he poured more fire through the door. The few surviving men left had the wherewithal to stack the bar tables together as a makeshift barricade. But even these were useless against the armor piercing rounds the snipers fired. It did however, provide temporary cover from the short ranged guns the enemy employed

He turned again to face his attackers, breaking cover and scything the doorway with a burst of 5.56 mm rounds. An NCR trooper flopped to the floor, three holes in his chest, while behind him, a combat ranger with an auto shotgun blasted the table he hid behind.

Chips of wood and glass ripped through the air as more rangers emerged from behind them, having taken out the rearguard, more men streamed into the bar.

"Surrender! Throw down your weapons and get down on the ground! Hands over your heads!" Ranger Hanlon shouted as he ran into the room, trail carbine in hand.

Caleb stood there, stunned as he and five other remaining mercs were suddenly surrounded by over a dozen NCR troopers and rangers. More of them pouring into the building behind him, some wearing distinct red caps. Two to three rifles covered each man, and judging by the expressions of his comrades, they were realizing how hopeless further resistance was. Weapons started to begin lowering.

Caleb suddenly grinned mischieviously, whether it was from the jet, or the booze, he didn't know, but the fear was gone. Only inspriration.

_Aw hell, I'm drunk, I'm washed up, and the boss will probably crucify me anyway for this…._

"Hey NCR! Tell your bosses they can kiss my ass!" He lifted his rifle.

The mercs screamed defiance, and Hanlon had no time to give any orders, nor did he need to. The room filled with gunfire once more, and the last thing Caleb recalled was a shearing heat, some light. Then no more.

* * *

**Shady Sands, NCR Capital 3:15 am**

A pair of sizzling radscorpions lay in the desert sand. Evidence that despite the civilization that came to the wastelands, the land itself was still a brutal, dangerous place.

Knight Captain Aiden watched quietly through his binoculars, the lighted cityscape of Shady Sands. It had been years since he last visited the NCR capital from the San Francisco chapter with his brother, but seeing it again after all this time still amazed him, the sheer size and opulence of it all, while his own Brothers and Sisters lived in tiny underground bunkers.

Now, it was his job to bring it all down. Although San Francisco was Shi territory, that did not stop the Elder from donating fifty of their best operatives to support their fellow chapter inside the city.

Behind him, two platoons of specialized covert ops Brotherhood knights waited. Unlike the heavy shock troops employed by the Paladins and Knights, Shadow squad was special, its origins coming from the secret covert wars conducted against the Shi in the San Francisco area. Instead of heavy bulky T51B or T45d armor, each member of the squad was assigned modified He Guai armor. Pre-war Chinese stealth suits, and gauss rifles, capable of tearing apart even vehicles with their mass accelerator rounds. In the dead of night, they were all but invisible, and this was _without_ their stealth fields turned on.

"Alright," Knight Captain Aiden turned to his subordinate, Knight-Sergeant Synder. "We're here, take squad Shadow and proceed to your assigned targets. We move on Paladin Commander Granger's signal."

Your will, Knight Captain." Synder saluted, then gestured with his hands towards the city.

Like the shadows they were named after, the Brotherhood knights simply vanished into the wasteland, the only clue of their presence were the light footsteps that made their way towards the unsuspecting city.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**Agent 94:** Why yes that is the Hanlon from NV ;) probably a bit younger, but not that young. With four decades of combat experience hes already quite an aged veteran even in this story (27 years before NV) Hope my explanation on the maxson's satisfies you ;) as for Baja, i may mention it later on but in the scale of things, it isn't top priority.

**Gasmaskedmook: **Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :) I agree, the depth of the universe was what really got me into FO after playing 3, so much potential for it. I personally want to see a fallout strategy game come out soon.

**AnonOmous: **Thanks! I'm just as eager to get to the war parts as you, as you can tell by my updates lol

**Madara Uchiha**: Thanks for reading :) hope the updates are to your liking!

To all following and reading, thanks! Next update to come soon hopefully.


	4. First Strike

_"We thought that with the Enclave gone, we could finally settle back to our lives. Sure a few of us expected to fend off some raiders at our outposts, but that was it. It's one thing to fight an disorganized enemy on your border outposts, but the last thing NCR was prepared for was an insurgency by the Brotherhood in our own backyard." – General Francis Durken, 16th Mechanized Division_

**First Strike**

**

* * *

Shady Sands, NCR Capital, 7:30am the next day**

President Joanna Tibbett scanned the various reports that had come through the region following the annexation announcement of the Hub. Several reports came from the border towns of increased Brotherhood activity, sightings of platoons of armored soldiers moving into their bunkers and bypassing NCR authority. Joanna rubbed her aching eyes as she took it all in. Tandi was never fully trustful of the Brotherhood of Steel, but nonetheless maintained a relationship of mutual respect. It seems the new High Elder in Lost Hills had a very different opinion from his predecessor. Several weeks ago, High Elder Maxson had cut off most diplomatic channels with Shady Sands while sending a delegation to the Capital, delivering a very stern warning for the NCR to cease its unchecked expansion, calling it 'imperialistic behavior that is a threat to other powers in the wasteland.' They would not allow the status quo to be destabilized, the envoy had said, just before they packed up and left before Joanna could offer any response.

_What did they expect me to do? Even as president, I can't order our populations to stop growing. If we don't expand, we'll simply use up with precious little resources we have and starve._

General Polin of the Eastern Army Group also submitted his report, of increased Brotherhood military by the border outposts over the next few months. Joanna knew it would have to come to a confrontation sometime, but with the Hub annexation, her hands were tied, NCR forces were stretched thin enough as it is. Once the business with the Hub was settled, she vowed to finally confront Elder Maxson over his list of demands, the NCR and Brotherhood have no reason to be enemies, especially since they both fought and died against a common foe just recently. Ultimately, a diplomatic compromise had to be negotiated.

Shuffling through the paperwork again, she took the time to review the application for annexation by the recent communities of Baja, where already more NCR battalions were moving in to occupy. Though Baja was a desolate area, there were still two small communities there. A report from Dr. Hildern also suggested that cultivating crops in the area could help with the impending food crises that come with overexpansion. The few people inhabiting the region too, didn't seem to have the will to resist joining the NCR, quite the contrary, they were sending delegates to meet her.

The flurry of news, both good and bad were enough to keep anyone's mind occupied, weighing heavily on Joanna's thoughts. Once again, she looked out the window of her office towards the Vault Dweller's statue, wondering again how President Tandi managed to do this job for _fifty_ years.

"Madame President?" The door opened, revealing another NCR soldier in sunglasses, this one wearing advanced green combat armor, the helmet barely covering the red hair that flowed behind her. "Bear Force One is prepped and ready to go." Chief Elise, leader of the NCR Rangers, saluted professionally, living up to her reputation as a no-nonsense soldier.

Joanna had to roll her eyes at that one, it was one of President Tandi's idea, to have a presidential aircraft like the republic had in the old days. With all the world's large commercial scale aircraft blown to dust or grounded, she settled for a captured Enclave Vertibird, painted with the colors of the Bear of the New California Republic of course. Still, despite how ridiculous it was, she admitted it was convenient to travel through the air on the way to the Hub ceremonies.

"Thanks Elise, tell the guards I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Yes Ma'am." Chief Elise saluted, silently wondering just how much longer the president was going to occupy her rangers on this bodyguard duty.

* * *

The Power Plant of Shady Sands was not like any installation seen in the wastes, having been recently reactivated from a salvaged pre-war facility that the NCR had finally managed to get running after decades of work and repair. For one thing, it was huge, consisting of four linked buildings, which provided free power to the majority of the core region power stations. Being one of the few fusion plants in existence, the NCR took great pains to keep it intact, providing each of the four plants with a security detail of 160 personnel. While guard units on land ensured 1.2-kilometre "protective bubble" around the facility, outside the city. Similar to pre-war counter terrorist measures, the structures themselves were designed to be strong enough to withstand the impact of a large commercial aircraft - an engineering feat that required nearly a million cubic meters of concrete.

Knight Captain Aiden watched all this quietly through his binoculars., having separated his shadow squad into several groups. A large portion making their way to the hall of congress and executive offices and rendezvousing with the downtown chapter. The task before him however, was just as important, even with only two platoons with operatives.

Around the power station, several outposts and fortifications in varying states of repair were manned by NCR soldiers, both conscripts and volunteers. Each one armed with a standard service issue rifles and carbines. He was half surprised to see 'scratch' battalions posted to the city as well, NCR's Ghoul regiments, having spotted several troopers with their half rotting faces in the distance. Ghouls or not, Aiden was slightly impressed by the layout of the fortifications, the clear lines of fire and fallback positions into the station itself.

He admitted, security was tight, and the set up may have worked two hundred years ago if not for the invention of stealth boys and He Guai stealth suits.

"Knight Synder, report." Aiden tapped the comm. Link inside his power armored helmet.

"Fifth and sixth squads are at the perimeter. I've assigned the rest to head to Elder Hail's downtown chapter."

_Good._ Aiden thought, that left them perhaps twenty knights and initiates to assault the power station. Against four hundred unprepared NCR troopers who had no idea what was coming. He grinned, they had no chance.

"In the name of Maxson, begin the operation. I want the 45ds to proceed with the attack."

"Your will, Knight Captain." Synder replied.

* * *

Most of the night and early morning were spent issuing orders to 5th battalion and cleaning up the wreckage that was the Maltese Falcon. Five NCR troopers had tied in the assault, with several more wounded, but on the other side of the ledger, were at least thirty dead mercenaries and criminals. Colonel Ellis watched quietly as he surveyed the wreckage of the bar, bodies lay sprawled in the corner, tarps covering the grisly remains, while dried blood, broken glass, and splintered wood and plaster littered the floor.

Westin would be happy, he reckoned. The Hub underground wouldn't be conducting _anything_ in the future, that was for sure. The icing on the cake was the body of Kane that his first recon men had brought to him, gunned down in the room to room fighting that had dragged on in the evening. By dawn, the NCR troopers found themselves discovering a warehouse's worth of stolen weapons and supplies. Most disturbing to Ellis however, were the large quantities of laser rifles and plasma weaponry that were within the crates.

"Think Westin will want to know about this." Ellis muttered under his breath. Anything that shot lasers or plasma had one of two things in common. Brotherhood or Enclave, he doubted the latter, since they had been effectively removed from the wastelands as a viable faction, and there would be no reason why the Brotherhood would willingly give away such large caches of pre-war tech.

Then who?

This disturbed Ellis greatly, and he made a mental note to report this to Westin and General Polin in the debrief.

At the other end of the room, he spied the members of first recon casually lighting cigarettes, all of them wearing the red beret that made the elite unit stand out. Next to him was an NCR ranger in patrol armor.

He had known the reputation of the rangers for some time. They began as a secret society within the NCR, a paramilitary force that swore to bring an end to slavery and tyranny throughout the wastelands. That part didn't surprise him, there are many in the Wastelands who hated slavery, having felt it's bitter touch in one way or another. Perhaps a loved one was taken away by the slavers or they themselves were once slaves who later escaped the savage lash and forced labor camps. Either way, these people form a ready pool of recruits for the Rangers who operate in secret across the Wastelands, though mainly in the western areas. In recent years, It became less of a secret that the Rangers had strong ties with New California Republic. Some even said that the late President Tandi's regular addresses to the NCR Assembly on the evils of slavery and how it must be stamped out were perhaps the beginnings of the military integration of the Rangers in the NCR. Though they still maintained an independent streak in the army chain of command, he respected these people who were audacious enough to raid slaver camps, attack slaver parties and wreck whole guilds.

"Ranger Hanlon." Colonel Ellis extended his hand to the soldier in greeting.

"Ah," Ranger Hanlon, taking out the lit cigarette in his mouth and throwing it on the ground, saluted, then took Ellis' hand. "Yes, and you must be Colonel Ellis, a pleasure to meet the commander of the Fighting 5th. Heard you did good work at Navarro."

"The feeling's mutual Ranger." Ellis' said respectfully.

"You boys did quite a number on them last night, especially the first recon." Hanlon noted, admiring the handy work and accomplishments from the previous raid.

"They were unprepared mercenaries at best Hanlon, nothing worth noting." Ellis said rather impatiently.

Hanlon seemed to sense the tension in the air, "Wondering who put these thugs up to this, that got you thinking?"

Colonel Ellis nodded. "I've sent a report to Councilman Westin, but I'm still uneasy."

"Thinks it's Enclave?" Hanlon asked. "They do seem to have a history of supplying scum with these new-fangled laser weapons."

"I've thought about it." Ellis replied, remembering all too well the gang wars that broke out in New Reno when the Enclave armed the Salvadore family with laser pistols. "But I don't think they have the resources to attempt something on this scale.

"Then that leaves only one option." The Ranger replied gruffly.

"Yes, although we shouldn't get too worked up, I think this is the councilman's area. The last thing we need is to knock on the Brotherhood's doorstep with a battalion."

"Can't say I agree to that, if those arrogant sons of bitches are behind this, then I say we hit 'em with everything we got." Hanlon said.

Ellis nodded, "I'll advise General Polin to put the troops on full alert. Supplying insurgents with advanced weaponry, increasing military behavior around our bunkers and border outposts, just days before the inauguration ceremony. I don't like it one bit."

The colonel took out a radio next, calling his second in command at Camp Zeta.

"Major Barnes."

"Sir." The man on the radio replied back, slightly muffled by static.

Ellis gave the radio a small flick to get it back in order then spoke again.

"I want the battalion on standby, have four companies keep watch on the downtown area. I want a full recon sweep of the city edges as well. 1st recon and two companies are to focus on the Brotherhood bunker for any sign of activity."

* * *

With the defeat of the Enclave, NCR had degraded the alertness of its armed forces to minimal, which meant that at the precise moment shadow squad infiltrated the power station compound, fully half of the four hundred member battalion assigned with guarding the facility was off duty. Those that were on duty barely had time to comprehend the situation in front of them as they saw two platoons of power armored troopers charging the main entrance. Those that had the wherewithal to shout a warning were quickly silenced by well placed gauss rifles. The first shots shredded the frontline garrisons, the thin metal breastplates that were standard issue to NCR infantry providing little to no protection as mass accelerator rounds pummeled the front line. One soldier tried to shout a warning, but found his lungs liquefied as heated sniper rounds pierced through his breastplate like a piece of paper, tearing a neat hole in his torso. Several other troopers met the same fates, losing limbs, and heads. A dozen lifeless bodies fell just as the Brotherhood Knights charge made its way past the first barricade.

Two platoons of Brotherhood Knights and Initiates, equipped with heavy T45d and laser and plasma rifles, quickly made their way into the compound. The sentries on duty were silenced by the He Guai stealth squad, several men and women falling from silenced infiltrator rifles while the less fortunate found themselves impaled by Chinese shock swords. Though outnumbered, they quickly spread chaos and confusion across the entire base, dropping sentries with quiet efficiency and skill.

The first warning many in the compound had of an impending attack was the battle cry of several dozen charging Brotherhood knights. The doors to the soldier's quarters were kicked open with power armored boots, and before the off duty troopers had time to respond, they were quickly scythed down with automatic gatling laser fire, severing limbs, heads, and incinerating those that were lucky. A fireteam of five troopers were quick enough to catch one of the Knights, spraying the warrior with several bursts of 5.56mm rounds, but their rifles proved ineffective, the power armor simply bouncing off shots from the light rifles like pellets, the small resistance did not last long as they immediately came under concentrated plasma and laser fire, reducing the small band to a pile of ash and goo. Screams and shouts echoed the compound as unarmed men and women of the Bear were gunned down in their beds and lounges.

Initiate Holt was in the midst of battle, sporting T45d armor that was reserved for the newies. His Knight Captain quickly ordering the platoons to spread out across the base. The lethargy of the NCR troopers was amazing, as the soldiers in the other facilities showed little signs of mounting a counter attack. Resistance was minimal, as shocked NCR troopers barely had time to raise their weapons at the power armored newcomers before being gunned down. The Paladins and Knights rushed headlong into the ineffectual fire, ignoring the bullets that ricocheted off their power armor and gunning down the troopers mercilessly. The smell of burnt flesh and ash filled the air as more bodies piled throughout the facility.

The alarms finally sounded ten minutes into the attack, and by then over sixty percent of the garrison had been annihilated, the survivors mounting a clumsy, ineffectual resistance as the invincible masses of armored infantry plowed through each room with merciless efficiency. Even then, the NCR troopers were still struggling to mount a counterattack, with their colonel and officers killed in the initial surprise attack. Explosions started sounding as NCR troopers resorted to frag grenades to penetrate the armor that their bullets couldn't but the Brotherhood shrugged this off, ignoring any shrapnel that had pierced their armor and fighting on with a grim tenacity.

The communications officer, before being bisected by a laser beam, had managed to send a distress call to the NCR garrison in shady sands.

Explosions roared and the ground shook as several pre-placed explosives went off in the Hub. Buildings, both civilian and military, crumbled in a sea of flame that threw the civilian populace into a panic. Screaming men, women and children cleared the streets, while Colonel Ellis' radio suddenly went alive with distress calls.

_"We're under attack! Brotherhood forces have launched an attack!"_

_"We can't hold them back!" *gunfire in background* "Requesting permission to – UGH"_

Before Ellis could even react, a fresh explosion occurred outside of Camp Zeta, and through the smoke, several spears of red light shot through, cutting apart unprepared platoons and individual troopers.

"Disperse! We're under attack!" Ellis barely had time to react, diving for cover behind the nearest sandbag wall while the rest of 5th battalion trained their guns on the new comers.

"Report! Major!" Ellis shouted into his communications radio.

"Sir!" Major Barnes shouted above the cacophony of gunshots and explosions in the background. "We've lost contact with our two companies two minutes ago, last report was an entire Brotherhood platoon emerging from the Hub bunker, _in full power armor_, they reported more coming just before we lost contact."

Ellis slammed his fist, not daring to take a peek above the sandbag as grenades, bullets and laser fire filled the air, along with the screams of his troopers. So that solved the mystery of the arms shipments, but it was too late. Way too late. The Colonel paled as he realized what this meant. The Brotherhood of Steel, the most advanced and militarized faction in the wasteland had just declared war with the NCR, the very Brotherhood that boasted a military bunker and presence inside every major NCR city in the core region.

"Mother of mercy…." Ellis muttered silently.

This was going to get ugly. Grabbing a rifle, Ellis then got on the radio with Barnes, hoping to organize what was left of his surprised and battered battalion.

* * *

Joanna Tibbett felt the floor shake violently as several explosions erupted outside the main street. Screams and gunfire soon filled the voice, as Ranger Elise burst through the door, flanked by two NCR troopers in heavy combat armor.

"What's going on?" The President barely had time to speak as more rangers and presidential guards surrounded her.

"Ma'am." Chief Elise, her green ranger armor covered in dust and soot, seemed out of breath."We're under attack...Brotherhood of Steel. We have to evacuate you. **now!"**

"Good lord..." Joanna whispered quietly, even as she saw the fleeing civilians and the armored husks of Brotherhood platoons gunning their way past the NCR trooper barricades towards her office.

"Madame president, i suggest we move **now!" **Elise shouted the last bit as a semi order, and the masked rangers around her nodded their heads in agreement, leading the president away even as the presidential guards in the street set up a makeshift barricade in preparation for the steel storm.

* * *

**Shady Sands Power Station**

"Captain Rene is holding facility 4 with his company, but we've lost the 1st and 2nd reactors. Communications room has blacked out." The NCR corporal replied as he gathered reports from all over the station, shouting above the wailing of the alert sirens/

Major Olin, now commander of the facility with the death of Colonel Eins, cursed under his breath. "How many troopers are left?"

"Can't say sir, I can't get in touch with most of our companies, they could be fighting or are already dead."

"Well get me in touch with the companies we have contact with! I want a cordon around this command center, we keep this we can at least maintain a defense."

"Sir, the troopers are reporting that their bullets can't penetrate the power armor." Another panicked officer shouted.

"Then use frags, I don't care what you do, but we can't let the Brotherhood get access to this-"

An explosion of light filled the room, dropped from the stealth knights that had infiltrated the room before the attack. Words and orders were drowned out as the dozen men in the room fell victim to the flash bang. Several more flashes filled the room, service rifles and trail carbines emptying clips at the unseen enemy, even as the NCR troopers in the room began dropping one by one, their heads exploding as laser and gauss rounds fired from the corners of the room. Major Olin felt warmth in his mouth as blood filled from his lung shot.

By the time the flash was gone, he was on the floor, the NCR staff already dead on the ground, while above him, half a dozen Brotherhood operatives in He Guai stealth armor revealed themselves, the sleek, black stealth armor hugging their bodies tightly, giving them the appearance of a sci-fi ninja.

Olin gurgled his last few words, cursing even as the Brotherhood operative brought his laser pistol to the Major's forehead.

It didn't take long after the fall of the power station for the next series of blasts to ensue. Pre-planted C4 explosives ripped through the power stations, sending shrapnel and clouds of dust flying through the air, throwing up bodies and vehicles. By the time the smoke cleared, the gaping holes in the facility walls became apparent, and the structures groaned under the weight of the damage inflicted upon it, before collapsing into a cloud of dust and rubble reminiscent of a controlled demolition, burying dozens of NCR troopers alive.

"Long live the Brotherhood!" Knight Captain Aiden shouted as he pumped his laser rifle in the air, followed by the exhausted yet passionate cheers of the knights and initiates around the facility.

With the power station destroyed, any hope of coordinating defenses or activating auto-turrets around Shady Sands had vanished. Within moments, the bunkers would be sending out jamming frequencies to interfere with the NCR's pre-war radios and short range comms. Anything that delayed the mobilization of NCR's army would make a big difference while the Brotherhood cells worked to surgically tear the NCR units apart in detail.

* * *

"All Knights, advance."

High Elder Jeremy Maxson watched as the first steps of the operation proceeded. The report from the Hub chapter that the NCR had uncovered one of their weapons caches was an annoyance at best. He had accelerated the time table of attack, by the time NCR had figured out a response, it would be too late for them.

He watched quietly as the markers on the holographic map of the Core region began lighting up, denoting the multiple chapters across the land as they moved onto the offensive.

He muttered a silent prayer in the name of Steel, knowing that many brothers and sisters would die before this would be over.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Shady Sands, several Brotherhood scouts watched the carnage and destruction fall upon the capital of the hated republic with satisfaction. They had been sent out to the wastes weeks in advance by the High Elder Maxson, who had anticipated the need for their work before even informing the other elders.

"That's the signal. You are good to begin the operation." The scout said tonelessly through his power helmet. "Remember the deal. Destroy any NCR forces you can, salvage what you want, but any tech you find is ours."

Bekter, leader of one of the tribes of Khans in East, smiled a toothless grin as he watched the carnage and divine punishment being inflicted upon his traditional enemy. He had consulted the elders, and the time was ripe. NCR, with its huge sprawling territory and outstretched army, was the defender in most cases. Holding territory for long periods of time. Unlike the Brotherhood, they forgot the one creed of a great pre-war general. He who defends everything, defends nothing.

"No problem, my boys will see that the job is done. Ain't that right my boys?" His roar was met with the throaty cheers and battle cries of the caravan of Khans behind him. Hundreds of raiders, khans and vipers gathered together in this one spot to exact vengeance a common enemy. Most of them were on pre-war motorcycles and buggies, armed to the teeth with shotguns, rifles and primitive sledges, but a good portion of the Khans were in stolen trucks. A great cloud of dust gathered as dozens of vehicles engines roared to life, screaming vengeance on the community that dared burned their homes and kill their ancestors.

It was to be like the old glory days again, with the NCR on the defense, cowering in their homes in fear of the mighty raids of the great Khans.

"Let's roll."

With that, dozens of motorcycles and trucks sped out of their pre-arranged hiding places, throwing up a storm of clouds as the great raid swept across the California Wastelands to the vulnerable cities of the NCR, which were already burning under giant pillars of smoke.

* * *

**Several things in this chapter.**

**Khans/Raiders:** In the context of the story, this is a subfaction i invented to represent the remnants of the various raider tribes that the Dweller/Chosen destroyed, and that the Brotherhood spent weeks gathering. Tribes that probably have no love lost for the NCR and may be the genesis of the Great Khans we see in NV. Plus, when outnumbered, the BoS could use all the cannon fodder they could, to put it bluntly.

** Vehicles:** Something i've always wanted to see more of in the FO universe. This is mainly from my knowledge of FO:Tactics, where the Brotherhood managed to get humvees and tanks to work! Of course i don't expect Khans to come up with tanks, but we can say that these bikes and trucks probably came from areas of America that weren't nuked as heavily (such as the midwest and great plains) outside the core region. Besides, the sight of Khan 'cavalry' on motorbikes was something i've always wanted to add hehe. (*changed hundreds of vehicles, to dozens)

Sure they aren't in the best condition, but i think ground vehicles are an overdue addition to Fallout and I'm planning on having them play a bigger role in this story since i'm writing one of a war that takes place over an area the size of California :) The quote at the beginning of the chapter is by a general in a _mechanized_ division for a reason :)

**Next chappy may be a while since I got exams coming up, but i'll aim to make it a much larger one.**

**Thanks all for reading!  
**


	5. Breach

_"The infantry is the group in the army which gives more and gets less than anyone else." _

_Captain Mauldin, NCR trooper  
_

**Breach**

**

* * *

The Hub**

"Contact!" An NCR trooper shouted, just as a laser bisected his head, cutting the top of his skull off.

Corporal Reyner swore as he dived behind the stone wall, chips of stone and masonry flew through the air, flaking off his mantle armor as he met a face full of dust on the ground. PFC Wright and Morales provided covering fire from behind another wall, even as two NCR troopers were sliced to pieces by two red beams, cauterizing their bodies as they fell to the ground. The Brotherhood gauss rifles tore deep gashes into the buildings around them, shooting through barricades, walls and light armor.

The attack came almost without warning, as he and his men accompanied two companies of NCR troopers to maintain a cordon around the Brotherhood Bunker, only to have the entire Chapter come out in force in their deadly T51b armors. It didn't take long before the NCR companies were decimated, the remnants of the NCR force still fighting in the streets through sporadic rifle and machine gun fire.

Another explosion sounded on the street, throwing up another cloud of dust as more NCR troopers tried valiantly to halt the advancing Brotherhood squad. Reyner took another look at Wright, who managed to clip the shoulder of a Power Armored knight with his hunting rifle. The Brotherhood soldier fell back from the recoil of the shot, and the other members of his squad, recognizing the firepower of the NCR squad in front of them, made for cover behind the alleyways of the buildings, giving Reyner and his men the time needed to withdraw.

"First Recon! Into the buildings!" Reyner shouted, already running through the wreckage in the street, his hands gripped tightly on his .32 scoped rifle. Benson and Jenkins followed suit as well, pouring carbine fire down the street as they rounded the corner. Around him, the sounds of war were mixed with the sights and smells, dead Brahmin, burning carts, and the carpet of burnt corpses, NCR and civilian.

The door of the nearest house shattered into wooden splinters as the remaining men of First Recon went for the rooftops.

The Brotherhood had the streets, but once his men were set up, there would be hell to pay.

* * *

Paladin Commander Palermo watched with grim satisfaction as his warrior Paladins of the Hub chapter swarmed through the streets, annihilating the enemy in their path. The two companies of NCR troopers were quickly wiped out to a man, their deaths heralded by several explosions as the Brotherhood Knights cleared them out of their barricades with frag grenades.

The air turned black with smoke and soot, raining ash onto the streets as the well armed platoon of Power armored troops advanced. They were a small chapter, numbering perhaps fifty combatants, but they did their work well, working in squads of five, they were clearing the Hub of the filthy NCR street by street. Four squads were already attacking camp Zeta, more than sufficient to clear them out.

The air roared violently as an entire building nearby went up in flames from the heavy incinerator knights, followed by the screams of several trapped NCR soldiers inside.

Palermo rounded the corner, his escort of four Tesla Armored Knights watching grimly for any sign of resistance, but the attack went off without a hitch, surprise was complete. Although they may lose several Brothers this day, each would have at least taken more than twenty of those NCR heretics with them. Already on the street, several more dead Hub Policemen lay on the ground, their blue combat armor inadequate against Brotherhood Gatling lasers.

"Spear one, report." The comm. link in Palermo's helmet sounded off.

"We've achieved surprise Paladin General Sword." Paladin Commander Palermo nodded in grim satisfaction. "Give us another three hours and we can have this city for the Brotherhood."

"Excellent, proceed as planned, once the NCR camp falls, your next target is the Hub Police station."

"Acknowledged." The Paladin replied, then he turned to his reserve squad of Knights and Initiates in T45d armor, pointing his hand forward to the downtown area. "Advance Brothers! Engage the enemy as you see them, clear every building out."

The Paladin Commander then shuddered as he felt a light punch chip his shoulder, followed by several more as an NCR platoon emerged from a nearby building, showering bullets at the Brotherhood squad, but to little or no avail. The light pistols and rifles did little more than dent the Power armor.

The Tesla troopers fired next, a volley of plasma bolts cutting down the light armored NCR troops and dissolving the luckier ones into green puddles of goo. Two NCR troopers, conscripts from the look of terror on their face, dropped their rifles and fled into the nearest shack, which quickly light red from a several well placed laser rounds. No one came back out.

Palermo grunted an acknowledgment as 1st Squad of the chapter emerged from the ruins.

"I want this street cleared! There shouldn't be more than five battalions of NCR in this city. I want them destroyed." Ten to one odds at least, but they posed no threat.

"Won't be a problem Paladin Commander." The Knight Captain saluted sternly, disappearing into the alleyways as the Paladin commander then led his squad into the streets, where already, several dozen civilians were fleeing.

The Knights raised their rifles as they saw the approaching Hub police in their blue combat armor vainly try to hold his force back. Palermo watched as his Tesla troops mowed them down. While he himself had his AER9 thud against his shoulder, laser beams burning through metal plates, armor and eventually, flesh.

Once the Hub policemen were down, the Brotherhood of Steel soldiers advanced, like an unstoppable wave.

More civilians poured into the streets, trying desperately to escape the armored men. "Ignore the noncombatants, they aren't our concern." Palermo had his men forcibly push their way through the panicky crowd. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

* * *

"Goddamn Brotherhood!" One of the privates, his nerves frayed, yelled in sheer panic as he unloaded his assault rifle at the attacking squads. "You'll never take us-"

A single red laser beam from the power armored knight in front of the barricade seared a hole through the NCR trooper's skull. The man gave an almost comically 'huh?' right before his body flopped backwards like a dead fish.

"Dumb fuck." Private Richard Cole spat as he and the rest of his squad returned fire, pouring a hail of bullets onto the oncoming squad of Power Armored knights, who were obscured by the smoke of the burning wreckage. The only indication of their presence were the red beams of light that shot through the smoke, occasionally taking the head off of a slow NCR trooper.

"Damn bastards just won't die." Another Private shouted in panic as she unloaded another burst of assault rifle rounds at the Brotherhood soldier, who reeled back as the bullets ricocheted off his chest armor but did not penetrate. The Knight however, fell back behind cover. Although Power Armor, with its composite metal plates, was enough to deflect bullets, over time, they could be worn down, as the NCR was about to show these cocky knights.

Suddenly, above the din of battle, a new sound emerged, the mechanical whirring of a machine.

It didn't take long for Private Cole to notice.

"Down!" Cole shouted as he dove into the dust, along with half a dozen men in his company.

A new ripple of bullets tore at the barricade, tearing up chips of wood, steel and flesh as a heavy Paladin in T51B advanced armor wielding a minigun walked calmly towards the barricade, firing a steady stream of bullets whilst being oblivious to the withering NCR return fire.

Those that were too slow or unaware had their upper torso torn to bloody ribbons as the 5mm bullets ripped apart flesh and bone.

"Get their ammo!" Someone had shouted above the heavy roar of the miniguns fire. And soon, for every NCR trooper that fell, another quickly pillaged their corpse for extra magazines and grenades.

"Sorry Bro, but I need this more than you." Cole tapped the headless corpse on its shoulder as he ejected his third empty magazine. At this rate, the entire defense line to the police station would run dry before they could push back the attackers.

The air suddenly shattered, and Cole watched in awe as the Brotherhood Paladin stumbled backwards, a gaping hole inside his power armored chest. The Steel soldier looked in almost bloodied surprise, and almost every member of the NCR defense line looked back to see where that shot came from.

Ranger Hanlon, his .50 caliber anti-material hunting rifle still smoking, gave the NCR troopers a small nod from his position on the Police rooftop, even as he fired another round. This one taking the head off of the Paladin completely.

"Lay it on them troopers!" Cole shouted, and with a 'OOH-RAH', the entire NCR line emerged from their barricades, spraying the bewildered Brotherhood squad with a flurry of 5.56mm rounds. The Knights quickly retreated, one of them tried dragging the corpse of their Paladin with them, but was quickly overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of fire.

Private Cole felt his shoulder go numb as he unloaded his clip onto the knight, along with every single member of the firing line. For a second, it almost looked like the Knight was on fire, as sparks and bullet ricochets covered his entire body, crumpling his armor and helmet inward until finally, the assault rifle rounds pierced the dented composite armor, and the Knight fell backwards, weeping blood from every single hole punched into his suit.

Private Cole took a deep breath, loading his last magazine as he popped back in the barricade, as the entire NCR line burst into a roar of cheers and shouted profanities at the Brotherhood. Loading his last magazine, he quickly emerged from cover for the next wave.

He watched in horror as more than a dozen Brotherhood troops emerged from the smoke. Before he could react, a mass accelerator round penetrated his left eye, vaporizing the back of his skull into a spray of blood and gray matter. Without another word, Private Cole dropped dead on the barricade, his rifle still gripped tightly in his hands.

* * *

"Sir, we have to evacuate." Colonel Ellis shouted as he entered the Hub Police Station office, his face was already covered in dirt and grime from the remnants of his force escaping Camp Zeta.

Councilman Westin, who had seemed so confident and self assured just yesterday, watched the scenes unfold on the street in horror.

"How….I don't understand. How did we let this happen?" The Councilman whispered quietly.

Ellis quickly held the Councilman on the shoulder, turning the bewildered politician to him. "We don't have time sir, the Brotherhood are going to breach this station any second now, my men will hold them back as best we can, but we need to get you out of here! Our comms are jammed but from what I hear from our outposts at Shady Sands, the president is in danger. If she and the vice president falls, you're next in line to lead us."

That quickly snapped Westin out of his daze. "Of….of course. Lead the way Colonel, I'm open to any suggestions you have."

Ellis nodded, "I have a vehicle set up on the outskirts, if we leave now, we can get you out of here safely."

"And your men?"

The Colonel gave an almost pained look even as the building shuddered from the explosions outside. "I'll save what I can, but from the looks of it, we have no chance of holding the Hub."

Westin nodded solemnly, but his eyes quickly flashed with a new determination and anger. "Do what you must Colonel, but see to it that as many of your men make it out as soon as possible. There will be hell to pay for this."

"Sir. We'll make sure of it." Ellis nodded, before gathering the remnants of his battalion for their final stand.

* * *

**Shady Sands**

Knight Captain Aiden continued firing his tri-beam laser rifle into the smoke, even as several furious impacts from assault rifle fire battered the chest plate of his Power Armor. Through the dust cloud, several agonizing screams followed the sizzling sound of burning flesh.

The Brotherhood Platoons advanced calmly, the optical eyesights in their advanced power armored helmets sending red beams through the smoke and soot. The once pristine asphalt and whitewashed walls of the city streets were now littered with bullet holes and scorch marks. Bodies, some intact, others burning, lay on the ground. Though Aiden had no qualms fighting the enemies of the Brotherhood, the sight sickened him, as he recalled some of the NCR he had worked with in his past time on the surface. It wasn't like he was killing unarmed civilians, but the events of the morning left a rotten taste in his mouth.

His squad of five, all equipped in advanced power armor and wielding heavy plasma and laser rifles, advanced from room to room, clearing them out of resistance.

Aiden spotted movement, followed by a burst of shotgun rounds as the NCR troopers made their final stand fighting room to room in the hallway. Chips of concrete and wood lashed into the air as more bullets poured into the fray.

A single blast from Aiden's Tri-laser rifle tore away the man's arm and jawbone, leaving him weeping blood as his body collapsed onto the ground. Another NCR trooper, a blond woman, swore desperately as she fired blindly against the wall, her eyes gashed by shrapnel from a frag grenade. The Brotherhood troopers moved past her swiftly as her weapon ran empty, while one of the Paladins paused and pointed a PPK12 Gauss Pistol towards her head, intent to blow it off her shoulders. Against anything close range, it was almost overkill, as the gauss pistol used an electromagnetic field to propel rounds at tremendous speed to punch through almost any armor.

Aiden however, calmly put a hand on his comrade's gauss pistol, lowering it instead.

"We aren't Enclave, we don't execute wounded prisoners." The Knight Captain replied.

The Brotherhood Knight gazed at Aiden with his cold mechanical stare, then simply nodded, holstering the pistol.

"Frag out!" Someone had shouted down the room, and the Brotherhood Knights scrambled for cover as three more grenades rolled down the hallway, exploding in a cloud of dust and shrapnel that sent ears ringing.

Through the smoke, Aiden could see the congressional halls of the NCR, along with the famed statue of the vault dweller, his face obscured by the smoke and ash.

"We're almost to the target Brothers! Advance! For the glory of Steel!"

* * *

**The Boneyard**

Already a famous city before the apocalypse, the L.A. Boneyard seemed to stretch forever, the skeletons of old pre-war buildings lying under the hot sun. With the establishment of the New California Republic, reconstruction projects under Tandi had done much to reclaim the old downtown core of the city, with thousands of new immigrants moving to the apartment complexes and multi-tiered facilities.

Now, the city formerly known as Los Angeles was burning. Columns of smoke lifted to the sky, followed by walls of flames as the entire downtown area erupted. Aside from the tens of thousands of citizens that lived within the city, NCR also boasted a large military presence in the region as well, including several full sized infantry divisions and the Republic reserve. This made it a prime target for the Brotherhood Chapter, which had taken residence in the old downtown core of the Boneyard.

The journey for Colonel Lee Oliver had been a sobering experience, from his headquarters at New Adytum. From the southern shores, the northern spires of the Boneyard seemed like a towering inferno. Even from the distance he felt the subtle thump of artillery and explosions, while the distant rattling of gunfire echoed through the sky. He'd imagine battles against raiders on the border outposts, but here in his own home city?

A torrent of refugees, retreating soldiers and wounded fled southwards, clutching belongings, carts, and their children, hoping to find some refuge by the sea. Several buildings burned around him, and glass and wooden slivers crunched under his feet as he and his column of heavy troopers made their way northwards. Each man was silent, professional. Armed in pre-war composite combat armor, they were the equivalent of any pre-war US infantryman. Not like the undisciplined rangers or the rag-tag conscripts that manned the border forts.

He had originally planned on bringing in the northern garrisons to his defense line by the old Cathedral section of downtown, but he decided it was best that they were drawing Brotherhood assets northward, spreading them thin and diverting their attention away from the last bastion of NCR power in the city.

Each man in his battalion was armed with assault rifles, combat shotguns and a generous supply of grenades. A few even sported flamers and incinerators, but to a man they knew they were outclassed in terms of weapons and equipment by the Brotherhood, and it was evident in the nervous glances of his troops.

Yet the arithmetic was simple in Lee Oliver's head. There was no retreat. The Brotherhood of Steel was trying to push them into the sea. But the chapter in the Boneyard must have numbered no more than a hundred combatants, two hundred was pushing it. While there were perhaps three thousand NCR troops stationed in the city. The NCR could afford to trade numbers ten to one and still have enough men to secure the town. He had hoped to one day command that many men but they were just as valuable to him by distracting the Brotherhood while his heavy troopers finished the job. They would crush the Brotherhood beneath the boot of the bear, and he and his men would be credited for this victory.

More explosions resounded from the north, followed by a frenzy of orders over the radio as the various colonels of the garrison attempted to coordinate an effective defense. The Brotherhood were somehow jamming their frequencies.

He had reached the governor's estate in the south, which was heavily ringed with NCR troopers. Oliver paused to see his own staff waiting nervously at the doorway, as though they were expecting a sniper attack any minute.

Lee Oliver saluted towards his staff officers.

"Lieutenant Moore, glad to see you're in one piece."

"Likewise sir, but the Governor and the General says that you're twenty minutes late."

Oliver simply grinned.  
"Pass the word to the company captains, I want squads to secure a cordon around the governor's house. Sharpshooters posted to rooftops and the rest of the regiment ready to assault the Brotherhood forces in the Boneyard. I'll be damned if anyone but the 1st California Regiment takes the honor of leading the assault. This won't take long."

"Sir," Lieutenant Cassandra Moore saluted, moving with the rest of Lee Oliver's staff to organize the troops.

Two NCR troopers saluted the Colonel as he entered, opening the doorway to reveal two men standing over a table of reports and maps. One of them, dressed in a fine civilian suit, was Governor Wendell Peterson, who was in charge of running one of the five states of the NCR. The person next to him, dressed in full military uniform and sporting an army issue cut, was General Aaron Kimball.

Lee approached both men, smiling as he extended his hand.

"Mister Governor. Sir." He gave Peterson a political handshake, while he offered General Kimball a formal military salute.

The colonel smiled as he watched Governor Peterson sit down, his girth occupying the majority of the cushioned chair as he wiped the sweat off his brow. He was clearly nervous. This whole meeting having been agreed to beforehand by the General and Oliver for their benefit.

"Got anything to report Colonel?" Kimball asked.

Oliver stood ramrod straight. "I've mobilized my regiment and we're ready to go, all five hundred of us."

"Any word on the mayor?" the Governor asked,

"Hell if I know." Kimball simply answered, "The whole thing's a mess. One minute we're all friends sitting by the fire sharing Kumbayahs….next they're shootin' at us. My guess is he's holed up in the town hall, by the Gun Runner's factory."

"Any word of support from them? Or the regulators?"

"Both are sittin' this one out, either too scared to commit to one side in case the winners decided to be not so merciful. Can't blame em, but can't say we'll forget this either." General Kimball said darkly.

Lee Oliver cleared his throat. "Sorry sirs, but what is the situation here so far?"

The Governor sighed. "We've lost control of the Boneyard, the Brotherhood scattered our men before we could mount an effective defense. Now they're bombing the civilian apartments to flush out any last bits of resistance. Except for the places where we managed to get some men into organized formations, city hall, the financial district, the Brahmin ranches, and where we posted the reserve in the wealthy neighbourhoods, the city's in anarchy."

"Any word from the President Tibbett? Vice President Carlson?" Lee's next question was just as important, as all orders were expected to come from the executive council.

General Kimball shook his head. "We've lost contact with Shady Sands an hour ago, just as the attack commenced. We're not sure if the President or Vice President are still alive. Radio communications are jammed and we're flying blind."

"Then it's up to us to ensure that our republic survives in this city. Until we restablish contact." Colonel Oliver offered. "For that, I'll need every available force in the area, including our _mechanized_ reserves."

Governor Peterson seemed astounded at this. "The mechanized reserves are at the command of the President, I can't order them without her authorization."

General Kimball however, pressed forward with the suggestion. "Colonel Oliver is right Governor. We can't hold this city with just one heavy infantry regiment and a mass of conscripts. We'll need everything we can get to throw the Brotherhood back. It may be that our outer forts and cities have fallen to the Brotherhood forces. If that is the case, we must focus our efforts on the republic's largest city, and mount an effective defense. And to save the lives of the women and children under your watch."

Peterson sweated nervously, obviously not used to such momentous do-or-die decisions.

Oliver slapped his thigh in exclamation. "We can _win_ this, governor. But we need strength, we need the troops and the armies."

"But Shady Sands-"

"If we save the Boneyard, rally what's left of our armies and set the stage for the President if she does escape, we'll be damned heroes sir."

Kimball nodded. "You'll take the credit of course, the responsibility, lies with us."

Governor Peterson paled, but ultimately summoned some last measure of resolve as he quietly nodded. "Very well, I'll have the order signed."

Colonel Oliver nodded, putting on his officer's cap as he stood up. "Then it's done sir, my men will hold them back as long as we can, but when the mechanized forces get here, the good General and I can focus on mop up operations."

"Where will you start?" The Governor asked.

"I'll start with a sweep from the south, moving east, then northwards. Gathering any remaining forces I can around my battalion and pushing the Brotherhood out of the city."

"Why start in the south? The worst fighting is in the North."

Oliver simply smiled at this. "I need to gain momentum sir, strike the Brotherhood where they aren't looking, once our men have sufficient strength, I'll proceed to attack their stronghold directly. After that, we can properly support our comrades in the North."

The other reason, Oliver thought, was because the south and the east was where the money's at. The Brahmin barons and the financial districts. Save their backsides, and their patronage could prove valuable to him and Kimball in the future, especially when the president is seen as being captured or fleeing from the capital in a national emergency. It also helped that several of Kimball's political opponents were congressmen currently trapped at Shady Sands. The next election would be something to look forward to.

"Now if you'll excuse me gentlemen," Lee Oliver smirked, with a quick nod to Kimball. "I have a city to save."

**

* * *

**

And yes, everyone's favourite political generals makes their entrance to this story :) This chapter ultimately is average length due to time constraints, but i've a lot more ground to cover so the next one hopefully is bigger.

**Leoryan** - wow that's ironic, since im usually pro-Brotherhood so its interesting that i ended up with a slightly pro-NCR take. Hopefully this chapter changes some of that. I agree, NCR ain't all friendly either and the bureaucracy as you can see is having some issues with coordinating NCR defense.

**Agent 94** - hope my PM answered all those comments to your liking :)

**Lord Coake **- Thanks! I've always been fascinated with the Brotherhood in that they have the potential to be such a good force for the Wasteland (i.e, Fallout 3) or a force of evil (tactics). We all know the ending of this war, it's the journey that counts ;) hope you enjoy!

**Endless Walker: **Thanks!

**Feneris**: Your comment is very appreciated :) i try to balance detail with brevity, so i'm glad to see that it's working out!


	6. Duty

_"Semper Fidelis"_  
_(Always Faithful)_

_-United States Marine Corps (Enclave) motto_

**Duty  
**

**

* * *

**

**Edge of the Mojave Desert**

There was nothing quite like a Brotherhood chapter on the warpath, at least, nothing the wastes had seen so far. In the past, the Brotherhood presence in the wasteland accounted for perhaps a patrol or two, less than a dozen or so men and women in hulking power armor armed with their fearsome pre-war technology. Their appearance was so rare that some even thought of them as a myth, an urban legend spread across the wastes to frighten weary travelers. But with the coming of the Enclave and the Chosen one, those theories were put to rest. The power of the Brotherhood soldier was feared throughout the wastes, and talk flew through the wasteland of Paladins single handedly wiping out towns off the face of the earth with barely a scratch on them. Such was the ferocity and power of the Brotherhood that many had already thought a war with them would result in total defeat.

That defeat seemed more evident for their foes as a battalion of Brotherhood Knights made their way westwards from the Mojave, trailed by columns of pre-war humvees and vehicles as they carried their supplies and weapons with them to their targets in the west. The dust kicked up by the columns of power armored troops spread for miles around. Any raider party, or super mutant band stupid enough to get in their way ended up as roasted corpses on the wasteland. As dozens of devoted, and confident Brotherhood soldiers made their way through the Mojave Desert.

Times had changed, even if the warfare itself hadn't. The Tribals had banded together, not only succeeding in recovering some lost technology themselves, but organizing themselves into cities and states. Even the most hard line and conservative members realized that the days of Brotherhood Knights single handedly taking on entire villages and cities were long gone. Organized militaries, in the form of the Shi Empire and the New California Republic had taken root, and were growing, fast. For the Brotherhood, the isolation meant that they were cut off from the fresh pool of recruits that were available to these republics, as well as the power structures that came into fruition. Yet, that was fine with the Brotherhood.

Despite all the odds, and all the dangers, the knights remained supremely confident, not only in their elders, but in themselves. They were still the deadliest force in the Wastes with the eradication of the Enclave, armed with the best weapons and equipment. Above all, they were loyal. To the ideals of their order and to each other.

"Paladin Commander, how far until our destination?" Paladin Vincent Santangelo

Paladin McNamara, his cape flowing behind his augmented power armor, tapped the HUD inside his power helmet. "A few more clicks west, then we will strike in support with Elder Hail's forces in Shady Sands." The Senior Paladin nodded, then waved his men onward as more columns of the Mojave Knights marched past, each armed with gatling lasers and plasma rifles. An eager Initiate Ramos waved towards the two commanders, while they watched the steel wave move westwards.

"We should be making contact with the NCR soon." Santangelo offered. "Border's just up ahead, should I get the scouts to see if we can round up any prisoners?"

Nolan nodded. "Yes, we'll need all the information we can get. If anything, the NCR is in too much disarray for even their border outposts to be on alert."

Santangelo saluted, already tapping the wireless communications tool inside his power helmet and ordering a detachment of knights in recon armor forward. "We will not disappoint sir." The Paladin turned as he prepared to rejoin his column.

"Wait, Vincent. A favour." Nolan raised his arm to stop his friend.

"Sir?"

"When our chapter does go forward, and we will. I need you to stay back from the fighting."

Vincent grinned beneath his power armor helmet. "Why is that?"

"Elder Elijah's orders too. You have a habit of being a bit impetuous. Which is fine for an aggressive squad leader, but not for this. This won't just be one battle, but a campaign. And I'll need all my commanders alive and kicking if we're going to make it out of this in the long haul."

The Paladin seemed to shrug his giant power armored shoulders in response. "Can't lead from behind."

"You've got a child coming don't you? Think of your wife as well. I'm asking you, as a friend, but I'm ordering you as your Paladin Commander. If I should fall, you're next in line. Hardin's a good man, but he doesn't have the temperament I prefer in my subordinates. Which is why I need you to stay back. Take care of yourself."

Paladin Santangelo protested, his tone grave and firm. "I'm fighting for my family as much as I am fighting for Elder Maxson's words, just like you, Nolan. What's the use if my child is born into a world where the corrupt and irresponsible run things? I sure as well wouldn't sit back. And I know you wouldn't either."

A tense silence followed between the two comrades in arms.

Vincent finally, offered a concession. "but I'll take your words into consideration."

"All I ask my friend, all I ask." Nolan replied.

"So our target is Shady Sands?" Vincent asked, wanting to divert the conversation elsewhere.

"Negative, Paladin General Sword is directing us towards an NCR facility, converted into an emergency bunker for presidential level VIPs. He believes the NCR will move their vital personnel to that area while Shady Sands is attacked by Elder Hail's chapter."

"Almost sixty Knights to take down this one facility?" Vincent asked incredulously. "This must be some target."

"You bet." Nolan replied. "It's is an old pre-war facility, built to withstand a nuclear bomb. But we know it as Vault 15."

"Vault Clearing." Paladin Santangelo said quietly, if there was one thing worse than urban warfare, where the ground favoured the defenders, it was Vault Clearing. Some of the Vault-Tec vaults had automated defenses, designed to protect the inhabitants against high tech infiltration and attacks by Chinese forces. With any luck, the dumb tribals of the NCR would have either destroyed them or be too ignorant to use them, but either way, a vault was a dangerous place to fight. Close quarters, bottlenecks, and possible traps around each corner. Any invader would have to pay for ground by inches.

Paladin McNamara nodded grimly. A Vault-Tec Vault was supposed to be unassailable, perhaps the most secure location available in the wastes.

Now, the Brotherhood would have to crack one of these open.

**

* * *

Shady Sands **

A barrage of gunfire greeted the Brotherhood Paladins as they advanced steadily onto the Presidential Plaza. The NCR Rangers, and the elite presidential guard putting up the only decent resistance in the city as the rest of the Order swept through the streets like a plague. Burning wreckage and bodies of brown garbed soldiers lay strewn on the ground, while the wounded cried out for help and water under the blaze of gunfire.

As the streets of Shady Sands burned, Elder Hail leaned back into the chair of his command bunker, the headquarters of the downtown chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. Around him, scribes coordinated the movements of the Brotherhood squads as they lay a swath of righteous destruction through the very heart of the NCR. The telemetric data had been relayed down onto a holomap of the entire city, denoting the location of each of his fifteen individual squads and keeping track of his troops down to the platoon level. The downtown core was under Brotherhood control, while several pings on the borders of the city walls denoted the presence of the raiders and Khans attacking the NCR perimeter.

Elder Hail grumbled uneasily as he heard of High Elder Maxson's decision to enlist the Khans. He was pragmatic enough to know that anything that diverted attention and troops away from his operations was a godsend, but the Khans and raiders represented everything vile that he hated about the tribal wastes. He reminded himself that he would be sure to deal with them after the situation with NCR had been cleared.

The war had been an interesting one so far. One of many contrasts. Historically speaking, it was the heavily armored formations that were the slowest while light armored enemies had the advantage of mobility. Thanks to the Brotherhood jamming frequencies, and the superior command and control facilities the Brotherhood had in hand, they were more mobile than their lightly armored foes, who were tied up in layers of bureaucracy.

Another interesting aspect so far was the fact that urban warfare highly favoured the defender, but his heavily armored and outnumbered paladins stood the best chance by fighting in the very streets of the NCR's home towns. If they were out in the open wastes, with the NCR light infantry and cavalry formations, they would be easily cut off and surrounded. Yes, this was an interesting war, of many contrasts.

He nodded with approval, quietly praising High Elder Maxson's strategic decisions. Already he had received reports of the Vice President and his staff heading towards the NCR's military fallback position at Vault 15. Paladin General Sword had already informed Hail that four companies of the Mojave Chapter were headed over there.

Everything in the operation was proceeding smoothly. It would take a divine act to stop this advance now.

The holomap lit up, and the image of a Power armored soldier in front of a blazing complex appeared. "Paladin Commander. Assault the Presidential Suite. I want President Tibbett alive if possible."

"Your will Elder Hail."

* * *

"Madame President, get DOWN!" Chief Elise jumped as she pinned President Tibbett down from running across a window. Sure enough, the entire section of the wall exploded into shards of glass and plaster as heavy minigun rounds pummeled the wall into swiss cheese.

Joanna Tibbett was shaking, this was her first experience in a combat zone, having been lifted out of her daily peaceful routine just twenty minutes ago. Her hair was disheveled, and dust and grime covered her face as soot and rubble shook from the rooftops of the building.

Crawling on all fours, the president and her party made it to the hallway, while Elise's rangers took up firing positions at the windows, pouring carbine fire into the street in hopes of warding off Brotherhood fire.

Elise took a quick peek out the window, her heart sinking in her chest as she realized the forward barricades had been overrun, the corpses of policemen and presidential guardsmen still smoking from the laser burns.

Through the smoke, the heavily armored Knights advanced once more.

Elise turned to the president. "Ma'am, we're almost at the roof. Take Bear Force One and evacuate as planned, the contingency is to get you to the Boneyard, we have a fallback position in place."

President Joanna Tibbett watched in shock as the Brotherhood soldiers advanced upon the front door, like cloaked revenants from hell.

"MA'AM!" Elise shook the president again.

"Sorry…you're right." President Tibbett shook her head, clearing her thoughts back to the moment. "We'll evacuate, but once we're clear I want you and your soldiers to withdraw."

"Can't say I'll obey it ma'am, running ain't in my nature." Elise smirked. "But we'll be fine. Head west and get us help. We'll hold these cocky sons of bitches as long as we can. Now go!"

The President nodded, and already ran towards the stairway to the rooftop, where the engines of green tinted Vertibird Bear Force One were warming up.

"Godspeed Ma'am!" Elise saluted, then quickly shouldered her lever action rifle. The last of the Presidential guards in the courtyard had finally succumbed to the Brotherhood attack, and the courtyard temporarily filled with an eerie silence.

"Let's show these Brotherhood Fucks how the Bear does business."

* * *

The reinforced doors of the Executive building groaned under the weight of the Brotherhood explosives. Inside the lobby, a makeshift barricade of desks and chairs was manned by several nervous guards and the NCR rangers.

"I want all Rangers! On me! Clear the door!" Elise shouted as she loaded several .45 caliber rounds into her repeater rifle, calmly walking down the stairs to take her place in the first floor hallway. Around her, the remnants of the presidential guard had set up firing positions in the lobby.

"Ma'am, we're locked and loaded." An NCR Ranger in composite armor saluted as he approached her, his raspy voice and decayed flesh revealing that he was a Ghoul.

"Rusty, what took you so long?" Elise smirked. There were many commanders in the NCR who still held prejudices against Ghouls and Super Mutants, preferring to keep their battalions understrength then take them on board, but Elise was one of those who cared nothing about background, nationality or race. To her, the only qualification that got you into the rangers was the ability to kill as many slavers and wasteland scum as you could. And in those categories, Ghouls and Supermutants, with their augmented strength and decades worth of combat experience, proved to be the ultimate recruits.

"Sorry Boss." Rusty saluted with a slight sneer on his rotting features. Despite her hard ass attitude, he had a healthy respect for her since the time he recruited her in the Rangers. "Your plan called for an unholy amount of explosive ordinance, took awhile for the men to gather them up."

"Just as well. Is Chauncey ready?" Elise said just as she finished loading the final bullet into her repeater rifle.

The room shook again, loosening more dust and soot from the roof while the Rangers and Presidential Guards leveled their weapons at the door.

"He's prepped Ma'am. All he needs is the signal." The ghoul rasped.

"Good, because once the president is clear. We'll need him to pull our asses out of the fire."

Elise managed to find the time to even light a cigarette, calming her nerves as the Brotherhood slammed the door once more. To her, this was just like fighting the slavers, only the Brotherhood had another kind of slavery in mind. Technological slavery, keeping the best for themselves while giving nothing but scraps to others in exchange for their allegiance and obedience. It was no different than the scum who sold people's flesh, the only difference being that the slavers at least were honest about what they were doing.

"Ma'am, they're breaching!" A presidential guard shouted.

"Everyone down!"

The doors shattered.

Chunks of steel and shrapnel rained through the lobby as men and women were blinded by the massive blast of the Brotherhood lasers. Several screamed, while others fired blindly, while the rangers held firm. Through the smoke, the power armored shapes sent a jolt of fear through every NCR soldier in the lobby.

For a moment, the entire NCR squad froze in paralyzed fear, as if they were still registering the threat in front of them. They had heard the legends, the terrible ghost stories of the invincible Brotherhood Knights that had shattered not only the Super Mutant Army, but the Enclave as well. Now, they were here to address the NCR's best and humble them like so many others.

_Yeah right._

Elise stood up from the barricade, giving the Brotherhood Knights a one fingered salute.

"FRAG OUT!"

Half a dozen grenades propelled themselves towards the knights, while rangers rolled more on the ground from behind desks and barricades. The NCR troopers, snapped out of their daydream, all ducked.

The world suddenly shook, and a bright flash engulfed the front lobby as shrapnel and explosions knocked back the first Platoon of Brotherhood Knights. Two power armored figures lay crumbled and burned on the ground, their armor charred black, while four more lay in various states of disorientation. Behind them, another Platoon was advancing, plasma and laser rifles raised.

"Fire at will!"

The entire NCR garrison suddenly cut loose, lighting up the entire hallway. From outside, NCR snipers in the windows took pop shots at the advancing Brotherhood. Elise felt the stock of her repeater slam into her shoulder, tenderizing it. But she had fired four armor piercing rounds into the torso of a Brotherhood Paladin, who reeled back in shock as his fingers tried covering the bloody holes in his rented armor, before finally collapsing.

The other guards and rangers fired a mixture of repeaters and shotgun shells. Though the rangers were firing measured, controlled bursts, the guards, clearly unnerved by the presence of so many Brotherhood of Steel Knights, fired wildly. The stress and fear throwing off their aim and nerves, some guardsmen continued firing even after their weapons clicked empty.

Beams of red light and bolts of green plasma flowed into the room. One of the NCR guards heads exploded, throwing bits of armor and bone off Elise's armor. Another guard was disintegrated on the spot, the lasers kickstarting a chemical reaction in his body that steamed away all the moisture in his body, reducing him to ash and bones. Another guardsman screamed in pain as a laser amputated his arm into a steaming stump.

"For the Brotherhood!" One of the Paladins screamed, as another Platoon breached the entranceway, spreading out into the lobby. An NCR guardsmen tried meleeing the Knights as they reached the barricade, but his neck was quickly dislocated by a power armored punch to the temple.

"Balls." Elise spat as she reloaded her repeating rifle, giving it a good cock before blowing the brains out of another Steel Paladin that got too arrogant for his own good.

"Ma'am! We gotta fall back!" Wellis, a presidential guardsman, shouted into Elise's ear above the roar of gunfire.

Rusty the Ghoul was beside him, shouting for ammo as he fired his trail carbine into the horde of Steel soldiers. The NCR did a good job of accounting for themselves but even they were at risk of being overwhelmed.

"We hold out as long as we can! We're not moving from this spot until I hear that Vertibird take off!" Elise said grimly, firing even as the wall next to her exploded from a laser blast.

Guardsman Wellis' features darkened, but he nodded. "Then we'll be here when the sun goes down ma'am!" he said grimly, firing more bursts from his assault rifle even as more Brotherhood swarmed into the lobby.

* * *

Shady Sands was a well fortified community, protected from the hazards of the wastes by state of the art technology that had thought to have been available only to the Brotherhood just a decade ago. Around the city of fifty thousand, were miles of laser fences, motion detectors and auto turrets, all imported from the sister state and member nation of Vault City. With such advanced technologies at its disposal, the risk of being attacked by raiders was a worry of the past.

Until now.

Private Dan Griffiths watched in horror as the entire desert outside Shady Sands came to life. The barracks of the outskirts garrison coming to a flurry of activity as alarms wailed. The troops had received orders to mobilize and head to the downtown core, to assist their beleaguered comrades against the Brotherhood of Steel. At first Dan couldn't believe it, but the smoking columns emerging from downtown spoke otherwise. The second unfortunate surprise of the day came in the form of a cloud of dust from the East.

Clouds of dust to be precise, in the form of dozens of pre-war motorbikes and buggies.

"Oh God." He whispered, just as several spears of rockets slammed into the frontline garrison. With the power station down, the laser fences, the auto turrets, the motion sensors, they were all decativated. Shady Sands was wide open to attack.

"Raiders!" Another soldier shouted unnecessarily, and Griffiths readied his rifle even as the roar of motorbike engines and the howling of raider Khans filled the air.

* * *

The NCR Halls of Congress were less guarded than the presidential offices ever were. Manned mostly by a garrison of conscripts and REMFs, the Brotherhood Knights breached the building with ease.

Knight Captain Aiden and his squad advanced quickly through the clean halls and rooms, leaving behind a trail of wreckage and death in their wake. The men and women of the San Francisco chapter did their work admirably, firing and covering each other as they advanced in squads.

Around the legislative chamber, gunshots and screams erupted as fleeing civilians, government officials, and soldiers tried to escape. On the floor, lay dozens of congressman, killed in the crossfire. A smattering of paper fluttered in the air as gunfire blazed across the chambers.

"I want this building cleared of all enemy troops." Aiden said coldy, a glimmer of distaste in his mouth as he regarded the civilian dead around him. "Any members of the government you can capture, bring them to me."

The stealth knights saluted, before turning on their steath boys and vanishing into the next rooms.

He then turned to the rest of his men.

"Alpha squad, on me, it's time we clear out the rest of the NCR and claim this place in the name of Maxson."

"For Maxson!" The Knights shouted."

* * *

To say Vice President Frank Carlson was not in a good mood, was understating it. For years he had warned Tandi of the impending threat of the Brotherhood of Steel, imploring her to adopt a military solution to what he deemed was an inevitable fight between them and those fanatics. Now, they were paying for it in both men and material. Luckily for him, he had planned for such emergencies.

"Sir!" His escort guard shouted as the VP's humvee rounded a corner in the street, avoiding fleeing civilians along the route. "We've received reports that President Tibbett has boarded Bear Force One. She is lifting as we speak."

So that settles that. Frank thought, there goes his last chance at being president. He gave a dark snicker, but knew that it was probably for the best. At least in the event one of them was killed or captured, he knew the republic would continue on.

"Corporal." He shouted to his military driver.

"Sir?"

"Change of plans. Take me to the Presidential Bunker at Vault 15."

"Are you sure sir? The President expressly said she wanted you at the evac site." The Corporal asked, confused.

Carlson shook his head. "It's best if we remained separate. Doesn't give the Brotherhood one convenient target. As long as one of us is alive, the executive branch, and the war effort, will live on. I can run things from the bunker, and it's the most secure location near here."

"Not my call sir."

"I know son, but please trust me, you will be doing your country a great service." Carlson said, softly.

After a few moments, the corporal relented. "Very well sir, Vault 15 it is."

* * *

The gates to the city of Shady Sands exploded from the raider barrage, and through the dust cloud, a swarm of Khan warriors on foot and motorbikes ripped through the checkpoint. The roar of screaming engines and raiders drowned out even the shooting that took place, as the border platoons were overwhelmed.

The remaining NCR in the border posts had holed themselves up in the tower, returning sporadic fire even as the raiders closed in for the kill.

For Chief Bekter, this was a dream come true. He took in with satisfaction: the smell of the dead and burning, the screams of the terrified and dying enemies, savoring it, before moving on to his next target.

* * *

PFC Dan Griffiths clutched his rifle tightly, knocking a raider off his motorcycle with three short bursts of fire. The chem-fueled man laughed even as he lost control of his bike, the wheels crushing his head on the ground as the vehicle flipped out of control, exploding into a nearby checkpoint station.

The men and women of the NCR fought bravely, but being without radio communication and outnumbered, they were being overwhelmed. Even as he fired, Griffiths noticed that several NCR troopers were fleeing, only to be shot in the back by the motorbike infantry. The women who had the misfortune to be part of the NCR garrison and wounded were captured, dragged off screaming by Khans and raiders into the barracks with hungry looks in their eyes. _Right in the middle of a battle_. The whole thing was insane, Griffiths thought, and he tried hard to ignore their screams even as his own position was being pushed back. He cursed himself, knowing that he was going to die and that he was unable to save his comrades from these animals.

"How'd you like that you NCR trash?" One raider laughed hysterically as he aimed his flamethrower at Griffith's platoon, instantly covering his position in a sea of flame that sent more than one NCR trooper screaming. One corporal, set ablaze, screamed wild eyed as he ran towards the Khans firing his rifle, only to be put down by a shotgun blast to his face.

"Die you raider piece of shit!" Private Griffiths shouted, biting the pin off his frag grenade and rolling it towards the flamer wielding raider. Seconds turned to years as the raider registered the threat at his feet.

The resulting explosion ignited not only the flamer tank, but half a dozen other raiders who had the misfortune of standing next to him. Within seconds, all were put down as Griffiths and his three remaining comrades fought on.

"We're surrounded man!" Another private screamed in panic. "They're gonna tear us apart."

"Stow it trooper and fire!" Griffiths loaded his rifle again, firing another three bursts even as the hordes of raiders were finishing off the rest of the garrison. It would only be a matter of minutes before they were overwhelmed.

Then, it all changed.

A monstrous roar of a car engine filled the air of the outpost, and PFC Griffith heard several thumps as a pre-war microfusion humvee slammed into the raider group that was attacking them, throwing their bodies around like ninepins.

The driver of the humvee was a standard NCR ranger, what really set this humvee apart was the flatbed trailer it pulled, on it, was a mounted heavy SAW machine gun, but what was even more amazing was the person manning it. He was big, monstrously big, and wore armor that looked like it was made from strips of old tires and car parts. The bulky muscle and green skin also made him stand out even in the middle of this chaotic battle.

A…super mutant?

PFC Griffiths was even more amazed, as the Super Mutant manning the SAW quickly scythed down the remaining raiders in a hail of gunfire, plopping their corpses into a neat arc that surrounded his humvee.

"The name's Chauncey," The Super Mutant said in his guttural grunting voice. "NCR rangers. Figured you boys needed a lift. "

The NCR Troopers, too stunned to even say anything, simply nodded, and PFC Daniels threw himself onto the trailer, even as the Humvee pulled away from the burning barracks, leaving the shouts and curses of the raiders in the distance.

* * *

Bear Force One took what seemed like an eternity to lift off. The pilots running through the final checks even as the landing pad and building shook from the battle erupting in the lobby. Within minutes, the engines roared and the aircraft ascented into the blue sky, which darkened from the columns of black smoke and flame.

Through the window of the Vertibird, President Joanna Tibbett watched with shock and despair as the Hall of Congress and Presidential Offices burned, small armored figures firing laser bursts at her plane. More depressing, the statue of the Vault Dweller, Savior of President Tandi and inspiration to the Republic, lay collapsed on the street in a smoking ruin.

Joanna felt her eyes water as she watched her home burn, but fought back against it, gripping her fist tightly. The Brotherhood had struck, not just at the legacy of Tandi and the Vault Dweller, but at everything the NCR stood for. If the Brotherhood thought that the NCR would take this laying down without a fight. She would show them just how wrong they were.


	7. Courage

_"The point of the combat knife should be directed against the opponent's throat, as the point will enter easily and make a fatal wound on entering a few inches"_

_-NCR Ranger Training Manual_

**Courage**

* * *

**The Hub**

Training in the NCR armed forces was no cake walk. Standard recruits usually underwent basic training in the desert wasteland, where Rangers would teach them essential skills such as weapon maintenance, survival, and close quarters combat. It took weeks to train a basic grunt, months to prepare a soldier for proper frontline duty. But with the ever ending need for expansion and the demand for more border garrisons, the machine that was the bureaucracy ended up spitting out recruits that often had little more than three weeks training in total before they were sent to the wastes. With quantity, quality suffered, and new troopers often found themselves armed with antiquated pre-war service rifles that frequently jammed, instead of the reliable FN FAL models that fired 7.62 mm rounds or marksmen carbines, usually reserved for Rangers and Heavy Infantry.

That, at least, partially explained why less than fifty Brotherhood Knights were able to easily rout over five hundred NCR infantry.

The police station shook again, and Colonel Ellis watched uneasily as the Brotherhood forces assaulted the defenses outside the walls. Even from his vantage point, the sickening smell of gunpowder, blood, and sweat filled the air, assaulting his senses. The remains of his battalion had managed to garrison the building, throwing up makeshift barricades of metal carts and crates, firing into the smoke while the Steel Knights cautiously probed for weakness.

In the distance, more explosions resounded through the broken city, spires of black smoke rose in the residential neighborhoods as more Brotherhood squads filtered out, destroying any NCR infantry formation and equipment they could find. Camp Zeta was gone, nothing left but burning corpses and ruined shelters, and with it were most of his experienced troops, caught unprepared by the assault. _Under his command._

He would kick himself later, Ellis decided, now wasn't the time. He had to get the remaining men and women he had left out.

"Hanlon, what's the situation?" He spoke over the walkie talkie, long range radio had been jammed by the Brotherhood troops, but short range communications were still available, with an effective distance of fifty yards.

"Not good," The Ranger gave a frank assessment. "The Brotherhood are clearing out the rest of the 3rd Battalion from the residential district. They'll have the water tower soon, don't see any meaningful resistance. Looks like we're next on the chopping block."

"And your men?" Ellis asked, referring to the Ranger company that Hanlon had brought with him to the Hub.

A distinct explosion shattered through the static, and Hanlon smiled as he caught another stupid Brotherhood Knight in the chest with his .50 cal. Although they were descended from a military force, a century of operating in the wastelands with impunity gave some in the Brotherhood the impression they were invincible in their power armor. His armor piercing rounds begged to differ.

"I have Echo company making their rounds through the business district, rounding up formations. My men are Rangers, they'll know how to handle themselves, question is. What's our next move?"

"We can't hole up here forever." Ellis replied, "Not when the Brotherhood have control of the water supply. We'll have to withdraw, we have a depot set up outside the city, there's no way the Brotherhood has enough manpower to cover all of the Hub, chances are it's still intact."

Hanlon nodded grimly, spitting out a wad of tobacco as he lined up his next shot. A fighting withdrawal, hardest maneuver in the textbook. He quickly scanned the garrison at the barricades to the police station. The Brotherhood squads had paused, exchanging withering fire with the NCR troopers, as though biding their time. They had perhaps a hundred and fifty men and women left manning the lines, facing a squad of less than a dozen Brotherhood, those odds would increase against them as more Brotherhood squads joined the attack after mopping up the NCR forces.

"When are you moving out?" Hanlon asked gruffly, a cold knot in his stomach, a withdrawal meant that NCR was effectively ceding the Hub to the Brotherhood, not the best way to start the Hub annexation. It also meant he'd have to signal Echo company to rendezvous, lest they got left behind.

"Within the hour, I suggest your men get back before then, otherwise the Brotherhood will have enough time to concentrate their forces and overwhelm us."

"I'll let my company know." Hanlon radioed back.

"How? Long distance comms are jammed." Ellis asked.

"We have our ways." The Ranger smirked, knowing all too well. The Brotherhood had relied on top notch pre-war technology, which gave them the ability to outclass any military they've encountered thus far, Enclave aside. But there was such a thing as being overly reliant on Technology, it seemed that many in the Brotherhood had forgotten how soldiers in the past had communicated, and Hanlon made sure that all his troopers were well versed in signals by flag, smoke or good old fashioned morse code with a flash light.

"I'll recall my company, and any NCR troops they can find along the way." Hanlon replied. "We'll be ready when you are."

"Good," Ellis responded through the static. "Because my men are preparing a nice little surprise for those bastards. Wouldn't want your men to be here while they set it off."

* * *

It was easy enough to tell where the Brotherhood forces were through the smoke of battle, the Knights in their shiny T51b suits rarely made a habit of breaking into cover, each man literally a walking tank. The vanguard consisted of six Knights, each armed with a heavy chain gun. Their barrels were still warm, having recently decimated an NCR company of fifty that had tried to impede their progress, now, most of them dead, their broken, shredded bodies littering the streets while the Steel soldiers marched on, daring any of the terrified NCR troopers remaining to take them on.

Corporal Reyner silently thanked them for being so obliging.

"Paladin, fifty metres, by the Brahmind cart." Private Benson said quietly, watching the armored soldiers emerge from the smoke, sidestepping past the charred remains of a Brahmin that was unluckily enough to get caught in the crossfire.

For a second, all was quiet, then suddenly, the three .32 caliber sniping rifles went off, shattering the silence and Reyner felt the stock of his rifle slamming into his already numbed shoulder.

"Target's hit, the rest of the Knights are taking cover, two more pulling back with the Paladin in tow."

Good, Reyner nodded. At this distance, they couldn't hope to completely pierce power armor, but at least they had made the Brotherhood think twice about advancing down this street in the open. Besides, the two more Brotherhood troopers were temporarily pulled out of the fight to drag their wounded friend out. More time for them.

"Got our surprise ready?" Reyner said to PFC Wright, who simply grinned.

"Package is set corporal, want the honors?" He handed Reyner a remote detonator, and the NCR trooper nodded as he took it. The line of Paladins was advancing again, this time negotiating past the Brahmin and the merchant cart. They were doing it properly this time, taking covering positions as each two man team advanced. Not offering the snipers a shot as they negotiated the debris.

"Merry Christmas you Brotherhood bastards." Reyner said silently, then pressed the switch.

The Brahmin corpse suddenly vanished in a cloud of red mist and flame, and the air whistled violently as the claymore mine exploded. Salvaged from a pre-war depot by 1st recon, the claymore mine was a pre-war weapon, and when detonated, fired out steel balls about 100 meters in an arc in front of the explosive, effectively shredding any unfortunate soul in its path into little pieces of meat. Power armor may stop some of them, but he doubted that the armor could withstand a thousand of those little shredders

The two Paladins beside the Brahmin corpse simply vanished in the cloud of steel and flame, while the men beside them were thrown back by the force of the blast. They were clearly unnerved by the explosion, as though the thought of the primitive wastelanders using anything resembling military tactics took them off guard.

_That's what you get for being cocky you bastards._ Reyner thought.

Reyner turned to Private Benson behind him. "Benson, get ready to move, I want Morales-"

Private Benson's head exploded, shattering bone and bloody grey matter all over the air. The NCR trooper's body barely had time to flop backwards before more accelerated rounds slammed into their position, cutting neat holes through the concrete slabs they were hiding behind.

"SHIT!" PFC Wright swore as one of the gauss rounds skimmed his thigh, tearing a bloody smear through his khaki fatigues.

Snipers! And using high tech Gauss rifles.

"1st Recon, get down!" Reyner shouted, then pointed to Wright. "Take what ammo you can off of Benson, let's get moving!"

Morales and Jenkins quickly crawled to the doorway, starting off to their new sniping position even as Reyner gathered up Benson's carbine, propping up Wright with his arm and dragging him away from the rooftops.

* * *

"Attention 5th Battalion, this is Colonel Ellis." The intercom of the Hub police station came to life, and the men and women of the NCR and Hub security forces looked up and listened. Colonel Ellis meanwhile cleared his throat as he thought of the next things to say.

"As you are aware, the Brotherhood of Steel has launched a surprise attack against us." He explained the obvious first. "In addition, communications with the other outposts and cities are jammed, we can only assume this is happening all over the NCR as well and is not isolated just to the Hub." Ellis let this sink in, and knew that this would be a shock to many recruits, who had friends and family inside cities with Brotherhood bunkers. The veterans in the unit nodded grimly, having figured this much out as well.

"We are abandoning the city, standard NCR protocol states that defense of the capital is top priority. We are pulling out of the city, if the Capital is still standing, we will regroup and take part in its defense, otherwise we will have to withdraw as far west as the Boneyard." Ellis continued. "You have your orders, finish your preparations, double time, we've got to get moving within the next half hour!"

"You think that'll be enough?" Councilman Westin asked quietly as he surveyed the chaos in the streets below. The steel paladins were out of sight, hiding in the smoke as they learned to have a healthy respect for the Rangers' deadly anti-material rifles.

"It'll have to be." Ellis said grimly. "We aren't equipped for a siege, and with the Brotherhood controlling the other parts of the town, we don't have the provisions or equipment in this station to hold out. We need to get mobile, and fast while we have daylight."

Westin nodded, and watched warily as the afternoon sun slowly began making its way down to the horizon.

"Then we will all do what we must." The old politician smiled tiredly. "I can only hope the president is safe as well."

* * *

The men of 1st recon quietly navigated the alleyways and streets of the Hub, making their way through the smoking remains of Camp Zeta. It was only this morning when the entire camp was alive with hundreds of NCR troopers. Now, only burning corpses and equipment remained, the sweet smell of human flesh burned through the air.

"We're nearly there." Reyner said quietly, his assault rifle at the ready. The four men of 1st recon walked quietly, half crouching as they carefully navigated the ruined camp, careful not to make a sound.

Not that it mattered anyway, since a lone Brotherhood Knight emerged from the smoke.

Both parties stumbled in surprise as they spotted one another. Reyner guessed that this was probably a lower ranking Knight or Initiate, assigned to secure the area while the main attack was gathering for the station. The shock didn't last long though, as the Knight quickly leveled his laser rifle.

"Contact!" Reyner shouted unnecessarily, running to the side while unloading his carbine on the armored assailant. Bullets chipped at the armor, pinging off metal and causing the Knight to stumble back. Corporal Reyner felt a searing heat by his chin as the Knight's laser rifle shot off, the Brotherhood warrior's aim thrown off by the automatic fire.

It didn't take long for Reyner's rifle to click empty, and he cursed as the laser seared through his armor plate, burning his shoulder. The Corporal fell back, just as the Brotherhood Knight advanced, but was quickly checked when Morales and Jenkins threw themselves at the soldier. Morales smashed the stock of his rifle against the Knight's visor, only to have it shatter into pieces. A power armored fist quickly took the private in the jaw, knocking him backwards. Private Jenkins unloaded his rifle at the Knight, which at close range had managed to dent the T45d power armor. The Knight cursed through his mechanical filtered power helmet, using his own laser rifle as a club to knock Private Jenkins onto the ground, blood spewing from his jaw.

More bullets fired at the knight, deflecting off his power armor as Wright and Reyner fired their side arms at the power armored soldier, but they did little to pierce the power armor.

The corporal almost wanted to shout the warning to Wright, as the Knight aimed his laser rifle at his comrade-

An explosion shattered the air, and all of 1st recon watched in shock as two neat holes appeared in the Brotherhood Knight's chest plate, along with a bursting mist of blood that erupted from his chest. The Knight dropped his weapon, running his hands through the holes as though he was trying to stop the blood from flowing out of his suit. It didn't take long before the Knight fell backwards, his last breath choking on blood.

Corporal Reyner stood uneasily, along with the rest of his squad, clinching his shoulder as he nursed the laser burn. If anything, the laser at least cauterized any bleeding.

He watched as more figures emerged from the smoke, the source of the gunshots. Two NCR rangers in composite armor emerged, armed with anti-material rifles.

"NCR rangers, Echo company. Thought you boys at 1st recon could use some help." One of the NCR rangers said, and Corporal Reyner nodded his thanks.

"Well I'll be, the fucking NCR rangers." PFC Wright said, laughing with relief, as he was propped up by Private Jenkins.

"Got orders from Ranger Hanlon and Colonel Ellis, we're moving out of the Hub within the next half hour!"

Reyner nodded, and wasting no more time, the men of the 1st recon and NCR rangers quickly made tracks to the police station, where the NCR would make their last stand in the Hub.

* * *

**Vault 15**

The vault alarms lit up, filling the steel vault in red lights and alarm sounds as the vault doors rolled open. The elevator slowly descending into the chamber as dozens of heavily armed NCR troopers and rangers lined up in the hallways. Armed with combat shotguns and FN FAL assault rifles, they were a mixture of heavy troopers and NCR rangers. The more elite troopers wore heavy composite armor, with brush carbines, their faces covered by pre-war combat gas masks.

As the elevator doors opened, the men and women of the Vault 15 Presidential Vault garrison saluted, watching as Vice President Carlson entered quietly. The explosions of Shady Sands erupted in the distance, and even in the vault, the dull thudding of explosives permeated through the concrete corridors.

"Vice President Carlson, welcome to Vault 15." Commander Brasco, the Vault Garrison leader, saluted, which was promptly returned by the Vice President.

"Thank you commander, have your men set up the defensive measures we've spoke of. I want the command center operational. Until the president reaches the evacuation point, I'll assume overall command."

"Sir."

Frank Carlson quietly nodded to himself as he quickly inspected the Vault. It had previously been inhabited by Squatters and Khans, but Tandi had wisely contracted out a tribal to get rid of both the previous occupants, giving him the opportunity to create the presidential vault for situations such as this.

As he made his way to the former overseer's office, now converted into an NCR command and control center. He watched as the men and women of the garrison began setting up improvised explosives and traps in the hallways, overturning chairs and tables as they set up defense points at every corridor. With the Brotherhood in full force in Shady Sands, it would only be a matter of time before they struck at Vault 15. Carlson vowed that it would cost them dearly. Many in the cabinet thought that he was being overly paranoid with his hawkish stance towards the Brotherhood, he only wished he could see them now to show them how damned wrong they were.

_The Brotherhood have attacked our country, trying to overthrow our duly elected government, aiming to turn the wasteland back into some sort of neo-facist state under their power. Not on my watch._

He ran the numbers through his head. For a population of over 700,000, full mobilization of everything meant that the NCR had at least 50,000 troops in regular army and the same number in reservists if it ever came to that.

Yet, none of that would matter unless some form of command structure still survived, which was what he aimed to do in his command center at Vault 15.

He sat in the overseer's chair, turning on the antiquated pre-war terminal as he issued orders to the spread out bases and outposts of the NCR. Thanks to the harsh life of the wastes, a good portion of able bodied men and women had some form of combat experience, whether against raiders or the local wildlife, and President Tandi had been sure to capitalize on that in the past. Carlson would tap that very pool of manpower and talent now.

"Commander Brasco." Carlson gestured to his left, and the adjutant saluted.

"Sir."

"I'll be coordinating what's left of our people while the President makes it to safety. Expect the Brotherhood to intervene. So I want your men and women prepped. Whatever comes through that Vault door next, you will kill it, you will hold your ground!"

Brasco, a veteran of many battles whose face carried the proof in scars, nodded grimly. "Those bastards won't even make it through the front door. I assure you sir."

* * *

**The L.A Boneyard**

Colonel Lee Oliver lifted his binoculars, watching with quiet satisfaction as his heavy troopers began engaging the Brotherhood soldiers in the streets. The heavy snipers he had deployed were performing admirably, forcing the Brotherhood into cover while his men, supported by platoons of heavy machine gunners and grenadiers, stopped the Brotherhood advance cold, fighting house to house. The air was blackened by smoke, and obscuring the red afternoon sun.

"Sir," Lieutenant Cassandra Moore saluted as she held a sheaf of paper in her hand, obviously orders from General Kimball.

"Report, plainly if you please Lieutenant." Oliver had little patience for protocol, not when a battle hinged on his commands.

"Baja has fallen sir," Moore said, her voice shakened. "We've just received a report from our Southern outposts that raiders have overrun our garrison there."

Oliver nodded. Of course the raiders would use this diversion as a chance to attack the NCR border outposts. If anything, the Brotherhood may have had a hand in this. It was too convenient to be a coincidence.

"It's an unfortunate consequence lieutenant, but it means nothing if the Boneyard falls. What is the status on our reinforcements?"

"Sir, General Kimball is advising that he's sent the order out to the mechanized brigades, but they'll need some time to get ready."

That made Oliver's insides boil. Are the mechanized units going to lose us this battle simply because they had to get their damned armor all nice and shiny?

"Kindly tell General Kimball that haste is most advisable, our troopers are holding out toe to toe, but we are still trading casualties at a rate of ten troopers per Brotherhood Knight, it isn't a rate of exchange we can sustain for long without reinforcements!"

Moore nodded uneasily. "Of…of course sir, I'll have it forwarded to the General right away." She then disappeared into the command tent, where several NCR communications officers frantically tried to re-establish radio contact with the remaining NCR formations.

Oliver watched quietly as reports of the casualties kept coming in. His heavy troopers were taking the pressure off the garrison and conscript troops in the North, and so far the losses have been more than acceptable, but once the entire Brotherhood Chapter finishes with the garrisons in the North and turned their attention to Oliver in the south, even he didn't like those odds.

_I need those Mechanized Reserves, and I need them now!_

* * *

**The Hub**

The men of 1st recon gasped as they made their way past the NCR barricades, supplemented by the ten remaining rangers of Echo company. The NCR soldiers warily lifted their heads from the barricade, letting the comrades pass even as more Brotherhood Knights were massing in the outskirts.

Corporal Reyner grunted as he willed his aching body in the sprint, dodging the Brotherhood as the NCR troopers at the barricade let loose a barrage of supporting fire, throwing up spouts of earth and chunks of concrete. PFC Wright was a harder case, crawling his way to the barricades while the NCR troopers providing heavy cover fire. It didn't take long before the fourteen men and women made it past the barricade, while NCR troopers resumed their suppressing fire.

The men of 1st recon reached the police station hallway, where already PFC Wright, Morales and Jenkins collapsed in the hallway.

"Well I'll be, glad to see you're alive, Corporal." Ranger Hanlon smirked as he extended his hand to the NCR trooper.

"Likewise…sir." Reyner gasped as he took Hanlon's hand. "What's the situation?"

"As worse as you can get." Hanlon smirked, much to the surprise of Reyner. "We've lost control of the Residential and Business districts, along with the Water Tower. We figure the Brotherhood will hit us once they consolidate. So you'll need to get your boys ready."

Corporal Reyner blinked, as if taking this in, the NCR was abandoning the Hub?

Hanlon seemed to sense the Corporal's thoughts as well. "We were completely unprepared for this Corporal, the Brotherhood has already torn most of our formations apart. We save what we can, head west, regroup then come back with a vengeance." He said grimly.

"I'll need your men posted to the rooftops. Colonel Ellis has already set up escape routes in the tunnels below the Hub. We'll make use of the escape tunnels the old Underground had. Make our way to the outskirts and the NCR depot."

"Fighting withdrawal?" The Corporal said.

"Yes," Hanlon murmured. "But we'll make the Brotherhood pay for every inch. They may take the Hub and this station, but it will be the end of them. We'll make sure of it."

* * *

**Shady Sands**

"Bear Force One has lifted off!" The shouts over the short range radio and the roar of the miniguns by the Brotherhood confirmed it, now was the time.

"Rangers, Guards! Fall back!" Elise shouted as removed her combat helmet, pieces of shrapnel embedded into it and her arm. Pain screamed down her sides as she raised her weapon, firing at the Armored husks of the Brotherhood Knights as they took the lobby. The slower Rangers and Guards died screaming, laser rifles lancing up their sides and cutting off precious limbs and arteries.

The fighting had dissolved room to room now. A guard with a riot shotgun emerged from cover, pouring a dozen shells in solid succession into the advancing Brotherhood Knights. To his surprise, the T51Bs, and the more heavy advanced power armored troopers almost seemed to shrug it off, and they advanced regardless. The Presidential guard went down screaming as a plasma bolt reduced him into a radiated puddle of goo.

"Keep firing!" Elise shouted into the dust, not sure how many rangers and guards were left as the Brotherhood soldiers heavy boots thudded to the second floor, devastating the defenders with their flamers and laser weaponry. She uttered a curse as the men and women of the second floor were beyond her help now, and she focused herself on the men in front of her.

Rusty the Ghoul reloaded his carbine with armor piercing rounds, the last few slugs he had before he fired at the Brotherhood Paladin taking cover behind the former NCR's barricade, the slugs tearing neat gashes into the Power Armor, and forcing the Brotherhood troops to think twice before rushing the hallway.

An explosion rumbled on the second floor, followed by a muffled scream through a power helmet. The IEDs that her rangers had set up on the second floor, trip wires, anti personnel mines, were doing their job, and while small range explosives couldn't kill a power armored trooper outright, it at least disabled them, buying the NCR time.

Rusty's radio suddenly came to life, and the Ghoul picked up, conversing quickly above the din of gunfire.

"Ma'am! Chauncey's in the back, our ride's here."

"Fall back!" Elise shouted to the tragically few remaining rangers in the lobby. The Presidential guard captain, whom she had manned the barricades with moments earlier, nodded to her, his face caked with dried blood.

"You rangers fall back. We've done our duty. We'll cover your withdrawal."

Elise was shocked by this, but she already saw that the Guard Captain was leaning against the wall, his leg shot through by a laser blast. It was a cruel reality that she and her men could not get away while tending to the wounded Guard troopers.

"We'll get help." Elise said, though she felt her heart drop with that false promise.

The Guard captain nodded, coughing up some blood. "Get out of here Ma'am." He said, just as he lifted his assault rifle to cover the passageway.

"Move!" Rusty shouted, tugging at Elise's arm while three other rangers followed suit, making their way to the rear of the presidential offices. The Brotherhood of Steel had thrown their forces head on into the building, and the NCR rear was more than secure, since the power armored troops haven't had time to prepare an ambush from the other side.

Rusty kicked the wooden door of the rear entrance open, and already, a humvee and trailer was already waiting for them. Chauncey, the bulky super mutant turned NCR-ranger gave Rusty a friendly wave, while three other troopers, Border garrison troopers, Rusty noted, sat on the trailer, their rifles aimed at the surrounding rooftops in case of any Brotherhood snipers.

"Looking for a lift?" Chauncey shouted at his teammates, above the roar of the cell-powered engines.

"I could kiss your green armored ass ya mutie bastard." Rusty grinned, and Elise nodded as she and the remaining rangers quickly entered the humvee, rifles pointed outward while Chauncey signaled the driver to gun it.

As the NCR troopers sped away, the gunfire from the second floor softened, signaling the fall of the last of the Guard troopers in the Presidential offices. Elise forced the bile in her throat back as she heard the gunfire of the remaining presidential guards in the rear entrance as they gave their lives for her and her Rangers.

_They'll pay for this. They'll fucking pay. _She swore to herself, biting back the bleeding pain in her arm even as the NCR rangers sped away from Shady Sands, to the unforgiving wasteland.

* * *

**LordCoake**: Indeed, one of the most interesting aspects of the NCR I found in New Vegas was the unspoken rivalry between the Rangers and the Power Armored Heavy Troopers. Expect some of that later on ;) And of course, conventional troopers with LMGs, grenaders, and explosives are more than a match in the right situation for even power armored troops.

Personally, I'm in favour of the BoS, more specifically, the Capital Wasteland, but i have a soft spot for the Midwestern BoS, even if their methods are more Fascist and tyrannical ;)

**Agent 94** Glad you're enjoying this ;) as for the Chosen one, he/she may or may not be in a future update...who knows, but i do plan on including some more Fallout 2 characters and elements in. May be a pleasant surprise :D

**Ruarok** Yep! The NCR isn't without its fair share of corruption either. Oh man, don't get me started on the legion...i tried to side with them i really did, but they just seemed so ridiculous. Ah yes, the turning point. Kimball and Oliver willl have an interesting role to play :)

**0117** Thanks! I've essentially raided Vault Wiki for a lot of the Canon stuff, since i'm a fallout 3 player to begin with. I hope to one day get back on the Outcast story, who knows, maybe after this one.

**RRRR - **Actually, my inclusion of power armored troops for NCR was a literary license on my part, (and i do have a full non-canon backstory to explain this in the works) i had no clue that power armored NCR troopers was even Canon. Do you know where this is stated?

OH yes, there will be more Super Mutant coverage in the foreseeable future :)

Thanks all for your reads and reviews!


	8. Honor

_"We fought alongside a lot of good NCR men and women against the Enclave, the next time I saw them,_

_we were lining up their corpses in a mass grave." - Knight Captain Aiden_

**Honor**_  
_

* * *

**Shady Sands Bunker, Brotherhood of Steel NCR HQ**

There was a saying that the rear of a battlefield looked the same, whether in victory or defeat, and Elder Hail did not dispute that claim as he watched the first batch of wounded being transferred to his bunker. The battle was still raging in the various cities of the Republic, from Maxson, to Dayglow and the Boneyard, and within this one day, he suspected they had lost more brothers and sisters than they did against the entire Enclave. The first Knights and Paladins were ushered into the lower levels, their power armor rented with holes and leaking blood, while several had to had their life saving armor cut open to get to their battered bodies inside.

The scribes, normally continuing with their studies, were relegated to the role of doctors and medics, and in the hallways he saw many of the initiates and scribes running back and forth between the med rooms, carrying bandages, water, anything that could bring comfort to the wounded. Usually that task had been delegated to the Knights, but even they had been sent into combat, such was the pressing need for an overwhelming victory.

Elder Hail paused as he watched another wounded being cradled by a battle hardened Paladin, the gruff features on his face softening as he touched the forehead of a wounded Initiate, barely out of his teens, in crumbled power armor.

"Initiate Daniels, I bestow upon you the rank of Knight of the Brotherhood of Steel." The Paladin conferred upon the youth his final blessings, a battlefield promotion that would be recorded by the scribes in the annals of the Brotherhood's history.

"In Maxson's name…" The boy whispered softly, just as the last gasps escaped his throat. As the youth breathed his last breath, the Paladin gently closed his eyes before laying the body to rest.

It shook Elder Hail to the core, watching the scene. One thing, more than anything, the Brotherhood was a family, in not just the figurative sense, but literally, as the Brotherhood was mostly inclusive. It was almost impossible for anyone in the bunker to not be touched by a casualty, to have a family torn apart or friends and loved ones killed and injured in the line of duty.

"In the name of Steel, let our victory be swift and just, so that we may lift this terrible scourge from our land. "

He uttered the prayer quietly, before walking back to his command center, the weight of knowing he would be sending even more Brothers and Sisters to their deaths heavy on his mind.

* * *

Dusk was falling in Shady Sands, as columns of smoke billowed above the city, blocking out the din of the setting sun. The sky was colored red, tinted with the orange of burning flames that stretched out beneath the smoke. Streams of laser and tracer rounds filled the air, denoting areas of resistance throughout the city where NCR pockets remained. Every few minutes, a low rumble was heard in the horizon, denoting a Brotherhood rocket ambush, or an improvised explosive left behind by the retreating NCR forces.

Knight Captain Aiden watched silently as the prisoners were rounded up. Dozens of surviving NCR congressmen and congresswoman who had were not evacuated in time. His stealth squad had struck swiftly, and silently, killing the presidential guards that surrounded the NCR Congressional hall, while their brothers and sisters waged the brutal frontal assault on the city, he was the dagger that struck at the heart of the NCR.

The legislators went quietly, their wrists bounded by the faithful as they were marched towards the Shady Sands bunker. Most had their heads down, either in shame or fear, while others looked upon him with vengeful eyes.

"All prisoners secured Knight Captain." Initiate Holt, his power armor covered in dust and grime of battle, saluted anxiously. The youth had been in his first battle today, leading a charge that ultimately resulted in the fall of the last NCR generator room.

"Any casualties?" Aiden asked.

"We have five wounded sir." Holt said proudly, the thrill of his first battle still in him. "None killed."

Aiden nodded, wondering just how long that would last. He had never led this many brothers against such an enemy before. The Enclave was outnumbered to begin with, a small organization of dangerous fanatics. The New California Republic was a nation unto itself, his speciality was in small squad tactics, not a full scale war. How many men like Initiate Holt would die before this was over? He thought grimly.

"Knight-Captain, Your orders?" Holt asked.

"Secure the area." Aiden snapped back to reality. "I want the prisoners escorted to the bunker."

The initiate saluted, then ran off to issue the commands with the squads escorting the prisoner.

Another explosion erupted in the next street, followed by a barrage of gunfire and screams. Evidence that the battle for Shady Sands was far from over. Aiden waved his hand at a nearby squad of power armored knights, who quickly detached themselves to investigate, and need be, provide supporting fire.

"What's going on here? I thought this area was secure." Aiden said gruffly, addressing his second in command, Knight Sergeant Synder.

The Knight stoically nodded. "It was, our Brothers had to eliminate mutant squad nearby. But they may be the raiders Elder Hail enlisted."

_Super Mutants._ Aiden spat in disgust. If there was one thing he hated more than the Enclave, it was the thought of super mutants. Nothing more than a failed and monstrous product of a world long gone. The fact that his own brother was killed by one of those modified freaks did little to assuage that hatred. Yet, something else bothered him.

"Raiders?"

Synder nodded grimly. "Elder Hail believes that they may be of service in occupying some of the enemy's fire."

_Meat shields would be a more accurate term_. Aiden thought, but the NCR presence here was done, the most those raiders and khans could be depended on now was burning what remained of the city to the ground. He didn't care as much for the tribals, but it sullied him to be working with the likes of the Khans, and no one deserved the fate the savages offered.

"Have the squad mobilized, we're going to secure the rest of the town."

Initiate Holt seemed surprised by this. "Sir, our orders were to secure the hall of congress."

"Any NCR trooper within a square kilometer is either lying dead or dying, this area is secure enough. Elder Hail will understand, the Khans have _no_ right being here."

The initiate blinked, but understood the message Aiden was getting at.

"Your will Knight Captain."

* * *

**The Hub**

The Hub, like most of the core region, was burning. The sweet smell of corpses and ash filled the air as bodies lay sprawled along what used to be the merchant quarter. The HUB police, although better equipped than the standard caravan guard and paramilitary force, was destroyed, the last bastion of meaningful resistance coming from the police station, where the remnants of an NCR battalion was entrenched.

Eighty members of the brotherhood had decimated an NCR squad of at least six hundred. It was punishment of the faithless, and the smell of glory was in the air.

Draped with the cape emblazioned in the sword, wings and cog of the Brotherhood of Steel, Paladin Commander Palermo watched with satisfaction as his men cut a swath of righteous fury and destruction through the enemy ranks. With the Knights and Paladins sent to the front ranks, scribes were assigned to drag the wounded back to the bunker, as well as confiscate any technology the NCR had left behind. Although they were primitive tribals at best, Palermo did not deny that they had a reasonable talent in salvaging Pre-war materiale, almost as good as the Brotherhood, but then again, what else did rats do but steal and hoard?

The sacred technology would belong where it once had, under the vigilance and watchful eyes of the Brotherhood of Steel, instead of being wasted in the hands of these primitives.

"Paladin Commander." The voice of the Paladin General Sword, the right hand of Maxson, the Sword of Justice, echoed through the radio built into his power armored helmet.

"Yes General?" Palermo acknowledged through the broadcast.

"How are your squads progressing?"

"Very well my General, we've secured the water tower and the main administrative buildings, all that is left is the remnants of the NCR battalion in the police station, we believe they number four hundred."

"Only six to one? That hardly seems fair." General Sword chuckled through the comms.

"They will make for good sport at least." Palermo agreed.

"Our forces are spreading across the core region, New Reno and Junktown have been pacified."

The war was progression faster than Palermo thought, already word was coming through the intercoms that the NCR capital was close to falling.

"What would you ask of us? We are nearly done here."

"President Joanna Tibbett was able to escape our forces at Shady Sands, which is unfortunate, so now we are targeting her cabinet and advisors." General Sword explained. "We've secured their legislature in Shady Sands, now we must take the rest. Councilman Westin, the President's top advisor, is reported to be holed up in the Hub. the Vice president is seeking refuge in Vault 15, but we've dispatched a chapter to deal with them."

Palermo was impressed, only a few years ago, such coordinated strikes over hundreds of miles of terrain was impossible, but it was now, thanks to the Enclave. One of the most valuable pieces of technology the Brotherhood was able to salvage from the Oil Rig and Navarro was the command and control communication systems from ENCOM, the Enclave's high command. It was a satellite based network, linking all the vital comms in the core region that allowed the Brotherhood elders to communicate with each other, as well as filter down data to the individual level, allowing each Brotherhood soldier access to untold amounts of valuable information that allowed them to cut through the fog of war.

His thoughts ran through the events of the first attack, a mere eight hours ago. The NCR camp in the Hub was obliterated down to the last man, that left only one possible alternative where the Councilman could be hiding.

"I will gather my Paladins General, we will mount a full assault on the Hub Police station, and capture Westin."

"Steel preserve you Paladin Commander, do not let us down. Sword out."

Palermo smiled a grim smile, then turned towards the cadre of knights that assembled around him.

"Mop up the remnants of the tribals, we will focus all our assets in the police station. I want that place purified, and consecrated in Maxson's name!"

"In the name of Maxson!" The squad shouted in triumph.

* * *

**The Boneyard**

A squad of NCR heavy troopers, clad in composite fiber armor, advanced down the street, using the remnants of a brahmin cart and the shell of a pre-war highwayman for cover. Behind them, light infantry in pre-war assault rifles provided supporting fire, tracer rounds burning through the darkening street as flashes of gunfire denoted the positions of the troops. The NCR troopers were confident, they were the armored fists, the spearhead of the counter attack of 1st battalion. They were the best armed and outfitted battalion the NCR had to offer.

One trooper, armed with an Ak-112, a variation of an old 21st century soviet rifle, lifted his weapon and aimed, only to drop as a tri laser beam took his head off at the shoulder. His comrades barely had time to respond as the buildings next to them lit up in laser and plasma fire, burning holes through armor and renting the highwayman that they hid behind. One trooper dropped in pain as his kneecaps were seared through the bone by a laser beam. Another toppled over as her arm was severed at the bone by a gauss rifle, the stump still steaming from the high speed of the round. The NCR trooper knocked his head on the highwayman, unconscious. She was the lucky one, as his now fleeing comrades drew more fire from the Brotherhood occupied buildings, turning three more troopers into piles of ash and plasma goop.

Knight Callister watched in detached amazement as the NCR troopers fell, their bodies slowly disintegrating into the smoking piles of ash, maintaining their form and features until they impacted the ground, exploding into a cloud of particles. He was the chapter's designated sniper, occupying his position half a kilometer away on an apartment complex, far from the action in the streets where Brotherhood Paladins were fighting the NCR room to room.

The moment over, Callister ejected the empty 2mm EC shell from the chamber of his rifle, loading in another accelerator round. As a sniper, he used the high powered M72 Gauss rifle, a large, unwieldy gun with several coils which used an electromagnetic field to propel rounds at tremendous speed. It had the power to pierce almost any obstacle, while it combined its penetrating power with an unparalleled range, accuracy and stopping power. He never had a chance to test it, but even his fellow knights swore that a single shot was enough to stop a deathclaw right in its tracks.

Although his rifle had all those advantages, it still had to be painstakingly loaded by hand after each shot. The amount of microfusion cells, already scarce and rare, that the gun ate up was unbelieveable, which meant he had to make his shots count.

Luckily, the Brotherhood elders recognized that, so much so that every sniper squad in the Chapter was issued with their own specialized power armor, equipped with a rare and modified version of a Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. It was a series of nano-fiber circuits, which connected the user's brain and retinas to the pipboy built into the power armor helmet, allowing the user super human reflexes, if only temporarily, giving them the ability to process trajectories, assess enemy vital statistics and actions, and more importantly, pinpoint precise shots which would have the highest probabilities of hitting, all within the fraction of a second.

His spotter, Knight-Sergeant Greene, watched quietly as the gunfight on the street intensified, with more heavy NCR troopers entering the fray.

"NCR ranger sneaking up behind our Brother Knights, twelve meters east of the main line."

"Targeting." Callister activated the V.A.T.S system in his helmet, and for a millisecond, his world slowed to a crawl. In his vision, he watched with detached calm as formulas and trajectories burned in his retinas, the sprinting NCR ranger seemed to almost freeze in his scopes as his super human reflexes took hold, taking into account the distance, wind and trajectory, it took his brain another two milliseconds to decide on which area to target for maximum results.

He pulled the trigger. And the NCR ranger simply exploded into a cloud of blood as the mass accelerator round hit him square in the solar plexus, liquifying his inner organs and severing him at the top of the spinal cord.

"Kill confirmed. Quite a splash there Callister. Next target. Squad leader, behind the brahmin cart, fifty meters north."

"Acknowledged." He pulled the trigger again, this time his round whipping past a Brotherhood Paladin on the street, missing him by inches as it hit the target, taking the arm off the NCR ranger.

"Target's down."

"Not yet." Callister calmly ejected the spent casing, reloading a new microfusion-powered shell, then aimed again, right at the Brahmin Cart where the NCR squad leader collapsed behind. He pulled the trigger again, and this time was rewarded with a splatter of blood across the walls of the barricade, as he hit the spot where the wounded soldier had fallen.

Suddenly, the rooftop shook, and urgent shouts from the three man squad they left on the lower floors called up to them.

"Contact!"

"Time to go Callister, good work." Knight Sergeant Greene patted him on the shoulder, then pulled his power armored helmet back on with a mechanical hiss. Callister nodded, shouldering his M72 and pulling out a tri-laser rifle which he reserved for these situations.

Before he knew it, the five man squad was running down the stairs of the apartment complex, their power armored boots shaking the floors loose with dust and soot as they advanced.

"Word has come in from the Elder, More NCR divisions are coming in from the south." Knight Sergeant Greene confirmed via the HUD display in his power armor helmet.

"Expected, considering we're fighting at the NCR's goddamn doorstep." Callister said grimly, they were one of the largest chapters in the Brotherhood, almost three hundred strong, yet they were fighting in the most populous, most fortified city in the entire NCR short of Shady Sands, the Boneyard.

The first contact the squad made with the NCR troopers was at the steps of the second floor. Within the narrow confines of the staircase, and armed only with single shot carbines, the light infantry went down easy. Callister fired point blank into the face of one of the NCR troopers, reducing his face into a mush of melted flesh, while Greene snapped the neck of his comrade with a power armored fist.

"Keep going!" Greene shouted, the power armored figures sliced their way through the flimsy NCR resistance. One room, newly occupied by NCR troopers, was bombed as Callister rolled a grenade through the door. The screams and cries barely heard however, all drowned in the hail of gunfire that lit up the downtown core of what used to be, Los Angeles.

* * *

**Lost Hills**

High Elder Jeremy Maxson smiled as the reports flowed in. Junktown was now under Brotherhood Jurisdiction, and New Reno, the families, once freed of NCR influence, now went back to their own gang wars, fighting each other over the burning city as the NCR forces retreated. They would be pacified with time, but they were not able to lend their strength to the NCR forces, and even more importantly that freed up the New Reno chapter to begin offensive operations elsewhere.

He leaned back in the console chair, pleased that perhaps out of all the people involved in this war, he was the one who had the most intelligence, even more so than the President of the NCR. Yet this would not be simple. What was that pre-war phrase? They had awoken a sleeping giant. The only hope they had left was to tear apart this giant from the inside out before it had a chance to move.

And in order to do that, he realized he needed every abled bodied man and woman at the front lines. The odds were in their favor, but victory had to be assured if the future of the Brotherhood, nay, the human race was to be saved.

With that thought in mind, the High Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel reluctantly picked up his long range transmitter, and made a call.

* * *

High chief Bekter was seeing red. His men had successfully destroyed the outer defenses of Shady Sands, and now his warriors were coordinating with the Brotherhood to wreak glorious destruction on their ancient enemies. Already, his men had laid waste to vast swathes of the city, houses were burned, women were taken as conquest. Half the city was burning, and all that was left was to wipe out the rest of the trash.

But standing in his way, was six feet of pure muscle and steel, barring the way for his troops to enter the suburbs.

"You are done here Chief, there is nothing else for you here." The Brotherhood Paladin said tersely.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but me and my boys have not even started yet!" Bekter, still hooped on battle stimulants and psycho, let out an almost animalistic snarl as his own men backed him up, Khans armed with flamers and assault rifles.

"I'll say it again, you are done. You've played your part, this area is secure, now head towards the next area of fighting."

"Fuck that, we've earned this part of town by right of conquest." Bekter spat at the Brotherhood Paladin.

"The conquest was not yours by right, my men were the ones who disabled the NCR power generators. Without us, you would be nothing but roasted slabs of meat on their electric fences."

"Fuck you and your rights you goddamn tin head." The Khan said angrily. Let us pass, or me and my boys will give you something to regret about."

Knight Captain Aiden did not reply immediately, instead he drew a power armored line in the sand, dragging his boots into a neat line as the raiders watched in curiousity and fury."

"Say what you want, but I will tell you this. If you take one step past this line, well, let's just say you'll look kind of funny running around with no head."

Aiden took a step forward, towering over Bekter.

"This section of the city is under Brotherhood control and protection now. If you wish to dispute that, take it up with my elder, but i'd imagine he'd sooner have your head on a spike than let your men run rampant through this place."

"We had a deal!" Bekter, slightly taken aback by the display, still snarled in fury.

"And we still do. Take your men to the areas of fighting, support our brothers and sisters, and you will get your reward. In time."

The Raider growled, and he sensed his men were already cocking their weapons at such a frontal insult to their tribe and leader. But reluctantly, Bekter knew when he was beat, he gave the signal for the Khans to withdraw.

"We'll meet again you damned Tin Can, and next time, you won't be so lucky."

"I look forward to it tribal. Believe me. I do so look forward to it." Knight Captain Aiden smiled then watched as the raiders dispersed.

He turned to Knight Sergeant Synder.

"Have Squad Shadow mobilized, it's time we pacified the rest of the NCR."

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait...writers block .**

**Endless Walker: **Thanks! :)

**ProtectorProctor009**: We'll see, like i said, i have many references to several fallouts in this. How it plays out only time will tell

**ChrisJM89 : **I know! I was really hoping one of the expansions in FO: NV would capture some of the BOS NCR war, but oh well that's what fanfics are for;)

**MarcusBrutus: **Great points Marcus

1.) The statue was destroyed more as a collateral damage of war rather than any outright targetting

2.) As to the role of Knights, here i am more influenced by Fallout 3's interpretation of a Knight's role in the BOS. It was the first FO i played so there, but i do recgonize that in the west coast they were more of a support role. Chalk it up to Maxson's agressiveness, when you fight an enemy like the NCR, it's all or nothing

3.) Again, i wish i played dead money before writing this fic (still haven't) but this takes place a good few decades before NV, he still has time to change ;)

**CyberJordan: **Thanks Cyberjordan! I will do my best to make the story enjoyable, but yes, look forward to many references ;)**  
**


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